Islamic State group militants claimed to have destroyed six archaeological pieces from the historic town of Palmyra, confiscated from a smuggler at a checkpoint.
The issue was referred to an Islamic court in the northern Syrian town of Manbij, which ordered that they be destroyed and the man be whipped.
Photographs released by the group showed IS militants destroying the busts with large hammers. Another photo showed the smuggler being whipped.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said today it was unclear if the busts were authentic or if the militants destroyed fake busts as a cover for the IS group’s own antiquities smuggling.
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