Islamic State (ISIS) extremists at Iraq’s ancient city of Hatra destroyed the archaeological site by smashing sledgehammers into its walls and shooting Kalashnikov assault rifles at priceless statues, a new militant video purportedly from the group shows.

Hatra is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Watch the terrorists destroy priceless ruins at the ancient city of Hatra.

Hatra was founded in the days of the Parthian Empire over 2,000 years ago.

Modus Operandi

The video, released on Friday, shows a militant on a ladder using a sledgehammer to bang repeatedly on the back of one of the carved faces until it crashes to the ground and breaks into pieces. The video also shows a militant firing a Kalashnikov rifle at another, while men chop away the bases of some of the larger wall sculptures.

One of the militants, who speaks Arabic with a distinct Gulf accent on the video, declares they destroyed the site because it is “worshipped instead of God.”

Not The First Incident

The Islamic State group, which holds a third of Iraq and neighboring Syria in its self-declared caliphate, has been destroying ancient relics they say promote idolatry that violates their fundamentalist interpretation of Islamic law.

Authorities also believe they’ve sold others on the black market to fund their atrocities.

Another video released in February showed militants smashing artifacts in the Mosul Museum and in January, the group burned hundreds of books from the Mosul library and Mosul University, including many rare manuscripts. The majority of the artifacts destroyed in the Mosul Museum attack were from Hatra.

To watch the Islamic State terrorists group video showing militants using sledgehammers to smash ancient artifacts in Mosul, click here.