Isis fighters' destruction of Nineveh Gates captured in before and after photos
Isis have already devastated Mosul museum in addition to destroying the city's libraries, obliterating manuscripts dating back centuries
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Recently taken pictures show how Isis have destroyed two of the great gates in an ancient Assyrian citadel in northern Iraq.
These photographs seem to confirm the Nergal and Mashki gates in Nineveh have been bulldozed into rubble.
While the original gates date back over 2,500 years, those just destroyed were replicated in the mid-20th century, National Geographic reported.
Their destruction was confirmed by Dr Michael Danti, the co-director of the Cultural Heritage Initiative (CHI), who works alongside the US State Department to document destruction of cultural and religious sites in the region.
The archaeology professor from Boston University told National Geographic: "We can verify... that the Mashki and Nergal Gates have been destroyed."
He said the images were obtained from trusted sources inside the surrounding Isis-controlled-city of Mosul.
A bulldozer is clearly visible in the picture of the destroyed Nergal gate.
At the time these gates were built in 700 BC, Nineveh was at the height of its prominence as the largest city in the ancient world.
There are unconfirmed reports that the remaining gates left standing are currently being brought down.
Professor Danti said: "It's reasonable to assume that [Isis] is destroying other gates [in Nineveh], but we need to get more information before we can make those assertions.
"[Isis] is essentially sending a signal to the government of Iraq that if they continue with their offensive on Mosul they can expect a scorched earth policy from Islamic State, in both Mosul and the Iraq theatre, but also in Raqqa in the Syrian theatre."
Isis have already devastated Mosul museum in addition to destroying the city's libraries, obliterating manuscripts dating back centuries.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments