ISIS militants destroy ancient Assyrian and Akkadian artifacts at Mosul Museum in Iraq

On 27 February 2015, Islamic State militants attacked the Mosul Museum in northern Iraq, destroying sculptures and artifacts from ancient royal cities including Nimrud, Nineveh, and Hatra. A video released by ISIS showed militants using sledgehammers and drills to deliberately damage these historical objects, which they claimed violated Islamic teachings. The Metropolitan Museum of Art condemned the destruction as a 'mindless attack on great art, on history, and on human understanding.' This act formed part of a broader ISIS campaign targeting cultural heritage and religious coexistence in the region, which had already involved evictions and forced conversions of Christians and other minorities. The museum's collection included significant works from the Assyrian and Akkadian empires.