The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Tuesday the Islamic State (IS) militants’ destruction of the “cultural heritage of Iraq that extends to thousands of years”.

IS had released a video last Thursday showing the destruction of monuments and artifacts in Northern Iraq.

The violations included the smashing of a wide range of archaeological pieces in the Museum of Mosul, a museum that incorporates various identity components of Iraq’s cultural, religious, national and linguistic inheritance.

Egypt also stressed the importance of the international community’s commitment to a decision made by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in October 2014 which aims to help Iraq in preserving the legacy of its culture.