Daesh blows up Palmyra temple

Destruction raises concerns over rest of the Unesco sites

Last updated: September 15, 2018 | 19:23

1 MIN READ

AFP

Beirut: Daesh terrorists have blown up a famed temple in Syria’s ancient Palmyra, in an act the UN condemned as a war crime and an “immense loss” for humanity.

The destruction of the Baal Shamin temple, considered the second-most significant in ancient Palmyra, raised concerns for the rest of the Unesco World Heritage sites.

It comes only days after IS beheaded the 82-year-old retired chief archaeologist of Palmyra, sparking widespread condemnation.

“This destruction is a new war crime and an immense loss for the Syrian people and for humanity,” said Irina Bokova, the head of the UN cultural watchdog Unesco, calling for the perpetrators to be held accountable.

“Daesh is killing people and destroying sites, but cannot silence history and will ultimately fail to erase this great culture from the memory of the world,” Bokova said in a statement.

A file picture shows a sculpture depicting a rich family from the ancient Syrian oasis city of Palmyra, 215 kilometres northeast of Damascus, displayed at the city's museum.

A file picture shows a part of the ancient city of Palmyra.

This picture released on May 22, 2015 by the website of Daesh militants shows their flag, top center, raised on the to top of Palmyra castle, in the Syrian town of Palmyra, Syria. A Syrian official in charge of antiquities says Daesh fighters have broken into the museum of Palmyra which they have captured days earlier, but have not harmed its contents.

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