IS conflict: Iraqi force 'retakes ancient city of Hatra'

An Iraqi paramilitary force says it has recaptured the ancient city of Hatra, which is believed to have been destroyed by Islamic State militants. The Popular Mobilisation announced that its fighters had "liberated" the Unesco World Heritage-listed site "after fierce clashes with the enemy". The full extent of the damage to Hatra was not immediately clear from a grainy photograph published by the force. IS has bulldozed, blown up and looted pre-Islamic sites it deems idolatrous. Unesco has said the deliberate destruction of Iraq's cultural heritage constitutes a war crime.

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