Off the wire
• 1st Ld-Writethru: DPRK's Choe Ryong-hae to attend China's V-Day celebrations  • Australian share market yo-yos on Tuesday  • World Athletics Championships schedule (Day 5)  • Urgent: 30 heads of state to attend China's V-Day celebrations  • U.S. senator to lead effort against TPP trade deal: media  • World's oldest captive wombat joins dating service in search of love  • URGENT: 1,000 foreign troops to march in China's V-Day parade  • Portuguese soccer league results  • WTA Connecticut Open results  • Brazilian gov't may shut down 10 ministries in major reform  
You are here: 　 Home

UN chief slams continuing acts of terror, grave violations of int'l law by IS in Syria

Xinhua, August 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday condemned "the continuing acts of terror and grave violations of international law committed by Da'esh," also known as Islamic State (IS) in Syria, according to a statement issued here by Ban's spokesman.

The crimes committed by Da'esh include "the systematic destruction and plunder of the country's cultural heritage," said the statement, adding that Ban has called upon the international community "to unite and act swiftly to put a stop to this terrorist activity."

The IS militants blew up an ancient temple of Baal Shamin in Syria's millennia-old oasis city of Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Sunday.

The temple of Baal Shamin, or "Lord of the Heavens," was located just dozens of meters away from the famous Romanian Theater of Palmyra.

"The secretary-general is also outraged by the brutal murder of Khaled al-Asaad, retired chief archaeologist of Palmyra, by the same terrorist group on Aug. 18," and extended "his heartfelt condolences to Mr. al-Asaad's family," the statement said.

The statement added that "these barbaric acts of terror join a long list of crimes committed over the past four years in Syria against its civilian population and heritage."

The secretary-general "reiterates that the deliberate destruction of our common cultural heritage is a war crime and that the perpetrators must be prosecuted." Endi