BAGHDAD: Over 100,000 books and manuscripts perished across Iraq’s Anbar Province in a series of fires of the region’s libraries set by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Syria (ISIS) terrorist group, the newspaper Elaph reported Monday.
The London-based Arabic language publication quoted Anbar Provincial Council Member Amal Fahadway as saying that as of Sunday, the ISIS has burnt more than 100,000 books, including rare and important manuscripts, across Sunni dominated ISIS-held region.
“Armed elements of the Daash (Arabic designation for ISIS) bombed the public library in the Faisaliah area East of Mosul on Saturday, using improvised explosive devices,” Ghanem Taan, director of Mosul’s public library, was quoted as saying in a press statement, Reuters reported.
The library director added the Mosul public library has about 8,000 cultural, historical and philosophical and scientific books, as well as a variety of poetry books.
The ISIS Takfiri terrorists currently control shrinking swathes of Syria and Iraq. They have threatened all communities, including Shia, Sunni, Kurds, Christians and other minorities who do not submit to their brand of Islam.
Last week a former US general revealed that Washingtons allies created the ISIS to confront the popular Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah.
Retired general Wesley Clark, who was the Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO from 1997 to 2000, made the revelation in an interview with the CNN.
ISIS (Daesh) got started through funding from our friends and allies, Clark admitted on Tuesday.
The only group that will fight Hezbollah is ISIS because they are zealots and resemble a Frankenstein, he said.
General Clark did not specify exactly which US allies were involved in the creation of the ISIS. But he said the terrorist group is part of a strategy to destroy Hezbollah with an army of extremists.
Senior Iraqi officials have blamed Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and some Persian Gulf Arab states for the growing terrorism in their country.
The ISIS has links with Saudi intelligence and is believed to be indirectly supported by the Israeli regime, Iran based Press TV reported.