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| Iraq |
| Battle for Mosul nears ancient Nimrud |
| 2016-11-11 |
| [ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The battle for Iraq's second city djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... neared the remains of ancient Nimrud on Thursday, the military said, raising fears for the famed heritage site already ravaged by hard boy bombs and sledgehammers. Troops and allied militia were advancing on two villages held by the ISIS group near the ancient site some 30 kilometres (20 miles) south of Mosul, the Joint Operations Command said. "Units of the 9th Armored Division and the Hashed al-Ashaeri (tribal militia) are beginning to advance to liberate the villages of Abbas Rajab and al-Nomaniyah, toward Nimrud," it said. Nimrud was the one of the great centers of the ancient Middle East. Founded in the 13th Century BC, it became the capital of the Assyrian empire, whose rulers built vast palaces and monuments that have drawn archaeologists from around the world for more than 150 years. Many of its monumental stone sculptures and reliefs were taken way for display in museums around the world but some of the more massive structures remained in place when the snuffies swept through in mid-2014. In April last year, ISIS posted video on the internet of its fighters sledgehammering monuments before planting explosives around the site and blowing it up. It was part of a campaign of destruction by the snuffies against heritage sites under their control that also took in ancient Nineveh on the outskirts of Mosul, Hatra in the desert to the south and Palmyra in neighboring Syria, ISIS says the ancient monuments are idols that violate the teachings of its extreme form of Sunni Islam. But that has not stopped the group from trafficking artefacts it purports to revile on the black market to fund its operations. It is unclear what still remains of Nimrud's ancient ruins as Iraqi forces move closer. But it is just one of a number of treasured heritage sites that are threatened with further damage by the offensive that the government launched on October 17 to retake Mosul, the hard boys' last major stronghold in Iraq. The area where ancient Hatra is located may see fighting between ISIS and pro-government militias who aim to retake the town of Tal Afar, which commands Mosul's western approaches. More from Iraqi News (IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – Command of operation “We Are Coming, Nineveh” announced on Thursday, that the joint security forces are advancing toward the area of Namrud, southwest of Mosul, to liberate two villages from the Islamic State’s grip. Commander of operation ‘We Are Coming, Nineveh’ Major General Rasheed Yarallah said in a press statement, “Troops of the army’s 9th Armored Brigade continue advancing to liberate the villages of Abbas Rajab and Numaniyah in Namrud area, southwest of Mosul, from the ISIS control.” Security forces continue battles to liberate the province of Nineveh that was launched in 17th October 2016. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 A mighty Hunter in its time, but still a Comet. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2016-11-11 11:51 |
| #1 c' mon guys, the Nimrod may be an old aircraft , but ancient? |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2016-11-11 11:31 |