Sources in Mosul, Iraq, have reported that the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) used military equipment to destroy the ancient monument known as the Gate of God. The British Institute for the Study of Iraq told The Independent that Islamic State jihadists attacked the gate located in eastern Nineveh province. The Gate of God, also known as the Mashqi Gate, was built in the seventh century BC during the reign of Assyrian King Sennacherib.
In January 2015, residents in Mosul informed the Assyrian website Ankawa that the militants planned to target the walls of Nineveh. Unnamed sources said the Islamic State leaders told members to set booby traps along the walls. If the Iraqi army attempts to liberate the area, the militants must “complete the bombing of the historic walls.” Historians attribute the walls to King Sennacherib, who rebuilt the city during his reign, beginning in 704 B.C., and consist of a seven-and-a-half-mile barrier around the city—presumably to protect it from attack when it served as the capital of ancient Assyria. FULL REPORT
