ISIL threatens Syria’s cultural heritage

Syria’s invaluable cultural heritable is in serious danger as the country’s artifacts are either smuggled across borders or destroyed at the hands of ISIL Takfiri militants, Press TV reports.

Reports show that thousands of Syrian artifacts have so far been smuggled out by mafias and gangs to neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Turkey and the occupied Palestinian territories.

“The Syrian government has taken many steps in protecting archeological sites by imposing strict security measures. The authorities are in communication with the international police to track the smugglers and arrest them and retake stolen artifacts,” Hossam Zidan, a Syrian journalist, told the Press TV correspondent on Saturday.

Moreover, the foreign-backed Takfiri militants, who are fighting the Syrian government, have launched a systematic program of damaging and destroying the country’s historic sites in an attempt to erase Syria’s rich cultural heritage.

The United Nations has announced that Takfiri terrorists have already destroyed or damaged over 300 Syrian historical sites.

“Terrorists and militants seizing the archeological sites as their strongholds have caused irrevocable damage to the [Syrian] tourism,” said Bashar Jazmati, a Syrian tour guide.

Syria has been grappling with a deadly crisis since March 2011. The violence fuelled by Takfiri groups has so far claimed the lives of over 200,000 people, according to reports.

The ISIL militants have seized swathes of land in Syria and Iraq, terrorizing and killing people of all communities, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds and Christians, in the areas they are controlling