UNITAD Publishes Findings on the damage and destruction of Iraq’s cultural heritage by ISIL (Da’esh) between June 2014 and August 2017
15 September 2024
Baghdad: As part of the completion of its activities prior to its closure, UNITAD has published a report on the damage and destruction by ISIL (Da’esh) of cultural heritage sites belonging to all communities in Iraq.
The report finds that ISIL (Da’esh) systematically targeted cultural heritage sites it perceived as being non-compliant with its interpretation of Islam. At least between June 2014 and August 2017, ISIL (Da’esh) damaged and/or destroyed at minimum several dozens of Shi’a and Sunni Muslim mosques, husayniyyat (congregation halls), and shrines; Yazidi shrines and temples; Christian monasteries and churches; and Kaka’i shrines and jamkhana (ritual halls); as well as tombs and cemeteries across northern Iraq. The report concludes that UNITAD has reasonable grounds to believe that the damage and destruction of these sites amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The public version of the report is available here.
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