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| ISIS Appears to Destroy 2 Palmyra Tombs, Flaunting Wreckage in Photos | ISIS Appears to Destroy 2 Palmyra Tombs, Flaunting Wreckage in Photos |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| BEIRUT, Lebanon — The Islamic State group has blown up two historic tombs near Palmyra, in central Syria, according to photographs released online and a Syrian government official, the first major sites in the city that the jihadists claimed to have destroyed. | |
| The seizure of Palmyra by the Islamic State last month had raised concerns about the city’s stunning ruins and other artifacts, given the group’s treatment of antiquities. With other victories in Syria and Iraq, the jihadists shattered statues and blew up tombs, which under their interpretation of Islamic teachings are forms of idolatry. | The seizure of Palmyra by the Islamic State last month had raised concerns about the city’s stunning ruins and other artifacts, given the group’s treatment of antiquities. With other victories in Syria and Iraq, the jihadists shattered statues and blew up tombs, which under their interpretation of Islamic teachings are forms of idolatry. |
| Islamic State fighters have looted other sites for antiquities to sell. | Islamic State fighters have looted other sites for antiquities to sell. |
| Maamoun Abdulkarim, the head of Syria’s Antiquities and Museum’s Department, was quoted by The Associated Press on Wednesday as saying that the jihadists had destroyed the tomb of Mohammad Bin Ali, a Shiite saint, and a site marking the grave of Nizar Abu Bahaa Eddine, a Sufi scholar who had lived in the city 500 years ago. | Maamoun Abdulkarim, the head of Syria’s Antiquities and Museum’s Department, was quoted by The Associated Press on Wednesday as saying that the jihadists had destroyed the tomb of Mohammad Bin Ali, a Shiite saint, and a site marking the grave of Nizar Abu Bahaa Eddine, a Sufi scholar who had lived in the city 500 years ago. |
| The Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, also reported the destruction, releasing photographs online that showed fighters carrying explosives. The photos gave views of the sites before, during and after the detonation. | The Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, also reported the destruction, releasing photographs online that showed fighters carrying explosives. The photos gave views of the sites before, during and after the detonation. |
| The fate of the rest of Palmyra’s antiquities remains unclear. | The fate of the rest of Palmyra’s antiquities remains unclear. |
| Syrian officials said that when they sensed that Palmyra was going to fall, they removed many pieces from the city’s museum before fleeing themselves. | Syrian officials said that when they sensed that Palmyra was going to fall, they removed many pieces from the city’s museum before fleeing themselves. |
| While the jihadists do not appear to have set out to destroy the city’s extensive complex of ancient ruins, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group that tracks the conflict, reported this week that the Islamic State had mined the area. | While the jihadists do not appear to have set out to destroy the city’s extensive complex of ancient ruins, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group that tracks the conflict, reported this week that the Islamic State had mined the area. |
| An Islamic State commander in Palmyra said in a radio broadcast on May 27 that the group had no plan to bulldoze the ruins, “God willing.” The mine-laying may have been part of a strategy to discourage any attempt by the Syrian government or other armed groups to recapture the ruins. | An Islamic State commander in Palmyra said in a radio broadcast on May 27 that the group had no plan to bulldoze the ruins, “God willing.” The mine-laying may have been part of a strategy to discourage any attempt by the Syrian government or other armed groups to recapture the ruins. |