PARIS
Irina Bokova, chief of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), has condemned the destruction of an ancient temple in Syria by the Daesh militant group, which she described as a “war crime” and an “immense loss for... humanity”.
According to media reports, Daesh blew up the Temple of Baalshamin in Syria’s ancient city of Palmyra – a UNESCO World Heritage site – on Sunday.
“The cella, or inner area [of the temple], was severely damaged, and [was] followed by the collapse of the surrounding columns,” Bokova said in a Monday statement.
“The systematic destruction of cultural symbols embodying Syrian cultural diversity reveals the true intent of such attacks, which is to deprive the Syrian people of its knowledge, its identity and its history,” she added.
“This destruction is a new war crime and an immense loss for the Syrian people and for humanity,” the UNESCO chief asserted.
According to UNESCO, the Baalshamin temple – built some 2,000 years ago – had been one of Palmyra’s most important and best preserved structures.
Since May, the temple had been repeatedly targeted by the militant group, which remains in control of large swathes of territory in both Syria and Iraq.
