The Takfiri group operating in Iraq and Syria, ISIL began bulldozing the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud in Iraq on Thursday, the government said, in theterrorists’ latest attack on the country’s historical heritage.

The Takfiri group operating in Iraq and Syria, ISIL began bulldozing the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud in Iraq on Thursday, the government said, in theterrorists' latest attack on the country's historical heritage.

ISIL "assaulted the historic city of Nimrud and bulldozed it with heavy vehicles," the tourism and antiquities ministry said on an official Facebook page.

An Iraqi antiquities official confirmed the news, saying the destruction began after noon prayers on Thursday and that trucks that may have been used to haul away artefacts had also been spotted at the site.

"Until now, we do not know to what extent it was destroyed," the official said on condition of anonymity.

Nimrud, one of the jewels of the Assyrian era, was founded in the 13th century BC and lies on the Tigris River around 30 kilometers southeast of Mosul, Iraq's second city and the main hub of IS in the country.

"I'm sorry to say everybody was expecting this. Their plan is to destroy Iraqi heritage, one site at a time," said Abdulamir Hamdani, an Iraqi archaeologist from Stony Brook University.

"Hatra of course will be next," he said, referring to a beautifully-preserved city in Nineveh province that is more than 2,000 years old and is a UNESCO world heritage site.

"I'm really devastated. But it was just a matter of time," he said.
Nimrud is the site of what was described as one of the greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century when a team unearthed a collection of jewels, precious stones in 1988.