Iraqi soldiers have reclaimed the Mosul museum, but it seems that most of the artifacts are in ruin after the Islamic State destroyed much of the artworks. Three years ago, ISIS documented themselves smashing statues stating that the installation has caused so much veneration from the public and that it's a sin to worship more than one god.
Iraqi military took control of the museum on Tuesday, with archaeologists visiting the site the day after. They exclaimed that ISIS destroyed the original statues that date back thousands of years ago. ISIS was reenacting verses from the Quran when Prophet Mohammed destroying the idols in the Kaaba.
The narration on the video said: "These statues and idols, these artifacts if God has ordered its removal, they became worthless to us even if they are worth billions of dollars." ISIS has been adamant in wrecking Iraq's cultural sites and churches because they consider it as a form of polytheism.
ABC News has reported that remnants of an Assyrian bull statue and cuneiform tablets have been destroyed to pieces on the Mosul Museum's exhibition floor. More rubble can be found in the other halls of the museum which archaeologists believed were priceless artifacts.
Federal Police Cpl. Abbas Muhammad told the site that ISIS destroyed Mosul's culture because the Islamic group doesn't have one on their own. Iraqi archaeologist Lamia Al-Gaylani chimed in with Muhammad saying ISIS wants to make their history by ruining Mosul's because the region and the locals are already proud of their culture.
There were about 6,000 IS fighters in Mosul by the start of October 2016. Reuters reported that only a handful of were left as many of have been killed during the fight. About 100,000 Iraqi troops are battling against the Islamic State in Mosul.
