The horror practiced at the hands of the Islamic State seems to know no bounds. For them, their war crimes are justified by a corrupted morality. They are known to drown, decapitate, and even sacrificially murder their captives. ISIS has even been reported crucifying Christians that refuse to convert.
Earlier this week ISIS posted to their social media graphic images showing them driving a tank over a government soldier. They made a comment that it was in order to enact revenge for him allegedly doing so to their own fighters.
Recent reports are suggesting that they have turned those crimes not just against human lives that do not share their belief system, but toward history itself by using ancient ruins as a stage for terrifying executions.
The ancient Syrian city of Palmyra is home to many Roman-era relics. The two most historic being the Temple of Bel and the Arch of Triumph. Both have been destroyed since ISIS’s occupation of the area beginning in May.
Much in the way that Napoleon has his troops use ancient Egyptian monuments as target practice, ISIS is destroying anything of historical significance. These relics are without replacement and the irreverence for that history is no surprise coming from the Islamic State, who sees them as idolatrous symbols that stand testament to a perverse world.
Yet, they are not opposed to making a quick buck, as they have sold certain antiquities on the black market in order to fund their efforts.
Three civilian captives lost their lives this week at the hands of these extremists by being tied to Roman-era columns rigged to explosives. Once detonated, both the monuments and the prisoners were gone. Their identities remain unknown.
ISIS is targeting anything that will be demoralizing to the areas they control. They spread fear and falsehoods under penalty of death. They must not be tolerated.
