Palmyra: Islamic State publishes images of Syria temple destruction

1	Islamic State have released pictures purporting to show the destruction of the 2000-year-old temple of Baalshamin in Syria's ancient city of Palmyra.
2	Beirut: Islamic State militants published photos on Tuesday purporting to show the destruction of a Roman-era temple in the central Syrian city of Palmyra, an act the UN cultural agency UNESCO has called a war crime.
3	Five photos were distributed on social media showing explosives being carried inside, being set around the walls of the temple, the large explosion and then rubble.
4	The militants blew up the temple of Baalshamin on Sunday, according to the Syrian antiquities chief Maamoun Abdulkarim, but had not published pictures until now.
5	Reuters could not independently verify the images.
6	Militants lay explosives around the temple complex.
7	The temple was built nearly 2000 years ago and UNESCO has described it as a symbol of Syria's historical cultural diversity, which it says Islamic State is seeking to obliterate.
8	"Such acts are war crimes and their perpetrators must be accountable for their actions," UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova said in a statement.
9	She also condemned the killing of Khaled al-Asaad, an 82-year-old archaeologist who had looked after Palmyra's UNESCO World Heritage ruins for four decades.
10	Islamic State militants in Palmyra also placed explosives on the ancient temple's columns.
11	Mr Abdulkarim said last week Islamic State had beheaded Mr Asaad and hung his body from one of Palmyra's Roman-era columns.
12	Before the capture of Palmyra by Islamic State, Syrian officials said they moved hundreds of ancient statues to safe locations out of concern the militants would destroy them.
13	Islamic State, which holds parts of Syria and Iraq, seized the desert city of Palmyra in May from government forces but had initially left its ancient sites undamaged.
14	In June it blew up two shrines that were not part of its Roman-era structures but which it regarded as sacrilegious.
15	It had also used Palmyra's Roman amphitheatre as a place for killing people it accused of being government supporters, according to a Syria monitoring group.
16	Islamic State militants in Palmyra released this photo purporting to show the remains of the Baalshamin temple.
17	The Baalshamin temple's inner area was severely damaged by the explosion, which also caused surrounding columns to collapse, according to UNESCO.
18	"The art and architecture of Palmyra, standing at the crossroads of several civilisations, is a symbol of the complexity and wealth of the Syrian identity and history," Ms Bokova said.