By Al Arabiya
Members of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have desecrated
a church in the northern city of Mosul, once the home of one of the
world’s oldest Christian communities, images of the vandalism show.
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| (Screengrab from ISIS video) |
The pictures show members of the militant group, who last year
prompted an exodus of Iraqi Christians from the city, vandalizing the
historic Mar Korkis Church.
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| (Screengrab from ISIS video) |
In the images, the militants destroy crosses at the front of the
buildings, replacing them with ISIS’ black flag, as well as other
objects of religious or historical significance such as paintings and
statues.
The images could not be independently verified by Al Arabiya News.
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| (Screengrab from ISIS video) |
It is not the first time that the group has targeted religious
buildings in and around the historic northern Iraqi city. Last year, the
group set fire to a 1,800-year-old church and demolished mosques as
well as shrines to Sunni Arab or Sufi figures.
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| (Screengrab from ISIS video) |
ISIS-led militants overran Mosul and other parts of Iraq last June.
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| (Screengrab from ISIS video) |
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| (Screengrab from ISIS video) |
The city, home to 2 million residents before the offensive, was a
Middle East trading hub for centuries, its name translating loosely as
“the junction.”
