ISIL DESTROYS ANCIENT ROMAN THEATRE IN PALMYRA
BEIRUT Islamic State militants have destroyed parts of the second-century Roman amphitheatre and an iconic monument known as the Tetrapylon in Syria’s historic town of Palmyra, the government and experts said Friday.
It was the extremist group’s latest attack on world heritage, an act that the UN cultural agency called a “war crime.” A Syrian government official said he feared for the remaining an- tiquities in Palmyra, which ISIL recaptured last month, only nine months after a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive was hailed as a significant victory for Damascus.
Palmyra, a UNESCO world heritage site, has already seen destruction at the hands of ISIL. The ancient town first fell to ISIL militants in May 2015, when they held it for 10 months. During that time, ISIL damaged a number of its rel- ics and eventually emptied it of most of its residents, causing an international outcry.
Also on Friday, Turkey’s military said ISIL killed five Turkish soldiers and wounded nine in a bomb attack in northern Syria. Turkey is leading Syrian opposition fighters in an offensive against the IS-held town of al-Bab in the Aleppo province.