Islamic State blows up Palmyra Arch

Islamic State militants in northern Syria have blown up another monument in the ancient city of Palmyra, officials and local sources say.

The Arch of Triumph was "pulverised" by the militants who control the city, a Palmyra activist told AFP news agency. It is thought to have been built about 2,000 years ago.

Unesco's director-general yesterday condemned the destruction of the Arch of Triumph by Islamic State jihadists, saying "extremists are terrified by history and culture".

Irina Bokova said the UN's scientific and cultural body would make every effort "to make sure that the perpetrators of the destruction are tried and punished".

IS fighters have already destroyed two ancient temples at the site, described by Unesco as one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world.

"The Arch of Triumph was pulverised. IS has destroyed it," Mohammad Hassan al-Homsi, an activist from Palmyra told AFP yesterday.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a group monitoring the conflict, said sources on the ground had confirmed the destruction.

Syrian antiquities chief Maamoun Abdul Karim also confirmed the news, and told Reuters news agency that if IS remains in control of Palmyra, "the city is doomed".

In August, the group destroyed the ancient Temple of Baalshamin - one of the city's best-known buildings built nearly 2,000 years ago.

The group has also published photos of militants destroying what it said were artefacts looted at Palmyra.

IS militants captured the historic site from Syrian government troops in May, amid a series of setbacks for forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.