WEEKLY REPORT 73-74
December 23, 2015 – January 5, 2016
U. S. Dept. Cooperation Agreement Number: NEA-PSHSS-14-001
BY Michael D. Danti, Amr al-Azm, Allison Cuneo, Susan Penacho, Bijan Rohani, Marina Gabriel, Kyra Kaercher, and Jamie O’Connell
DOWNLOAD: REPORT
* This report is based on research conducted by the “Safeguarding the Heritage of the Near East Initiative,” funded by the US Department of State. Monthly reports reflect reporting from a variety of sources and may contain unverified material. As such, they should be treated as preliminary and subject to change.
Executive Summary
SARG and Russian airstrikes continued to cause significant negative impact on heritage sites in Syria throughout this reporting period. The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) documented four mosques damaged or destroyed in Idlib and Aleppo Governorates. Russian aerial bombardment hit places of worship in the town Kansafra near Jebel Zawiya in Idlib Governorate as well as Zebdiya neighborhood of Aleppo City and Ma’aret el Artiq in Aleppo Governorate, whereas SARG bombardment hit a mosque in the city of Jisr Al Shoughour in Idlib Governorate. Additionally, further information was released on the SARG barrel bombing of the Ayyubid Citadel and Roman Theater of the UNESCO World Heritage site Ancient City of Bosra in Daraa Governorate, occurred on December 22, 2015. SARG and Russian aerial bombardment has exponentially escalated the collateral damage toll, resulting in high civilian casualties and severe damage to non-combatant property, including residential areas and medical facilities.
In Iraq, ISIL militants were involved in multiple episodes of intentional destruction. Reports emerged that ISIL is now forcing prisoners convicted of minor religious “crimes” to demolish gravestones in both Islamic and Christian cemeteries around Mosul. Furthermore, ISIL militants planted explosives in the village of Tel Kepe, destroying multiple Assyrian Christian homes and an unnamed monastery. These acts fit within ISIL’s established pattern of eroding civilian morale and resistance through acts of cultural destruction and targeted attacks against the heritage of vulnerable minority populations. The use of forced cultural destruction as a punishment, however, is unprecedented.
In-country Iraqi sources report that ISIL militants continue to engage in the mining of antiquities. Information obtained during this reporting period indicates that ISIL is occupying ancient tells near the ancient Assyrian capital city of Ashur (modern Qalaat Sharqat) and digging trenches. While these sources state that the sites were occupied to stop Iraqi forces from entering Qalaat Sharqat, they allege the ISIL trenches are not defensive, but rather are for looting antiquities.
Only one new satellite image was made available during the reporting period, covering southwestern Syria.
Key points from this report:
- ISIL forced prisoners to destroy cemeteries in Mosul (ASOR CHI Incident Report IHI 15-0101).
- The Bosra al-Sham Department of Antiquities posted additional photographs of the damage to the citadel caused by recent SARG barrel bombings (ASOR CHI Incident Report SHI 15-0166 UPDATE).
- Russian airstrikes damaged or destroyed a mosque in Kansafra, Jebel Zawiya in Idlib Governorate (ASOR CHI Incident Report SHI 15-0169).
- Regime forces severely damaged the Al Turkman Mosque in Jisr Al Shoughour city in Idlib Governorate (ASOR CHI Incident Report SHI 15-0170). The Day After Heritage Protection Initiative has produced a report on the damage.
- Russian airstrikes caused severe damage to Batul Mosque in the Zebdiya neighborhood of Aleppo (ASOR CHI Incident Report SHI 15-0171).
- ISIL bombed ten Assyrian homes and a monastery in the village of Tel Keppe in northern Iraq (ASOR CHI Incident Report IHI 15-0102).
- ISIL destroyed and looted multiple sites to create military positions against Iraqi forces around the ancient site of Qalat Sharqat, also known as Ashur (ASOR CHI Incident Report IHI 15-0103).
- The Omar bin al-Khattab Mosque in Ma’arat el-Artiq in Aleppo Governorate was damaged by a Russian airstrike (ASOR CHI Incident Report SHI 16-0001).
- Three Sunni mosques in Iraq, including the Ammar bin Yasser Mosque and al-Fath al-Mubeen/Fateh Mosque in Babil Governorate, were bombed and partially destroyed (ASOR CHI Incident Report IHI 16-0001).
