Iraqi relics destroyed

Members of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS), a radical Islamist group, began to destroy important historical sites in Iraq in March, including the 13th-century-BC Assyrian city of Nimrud and the archaeological site of the Nergal Gate as well as ancient statues, many human-sized or much larger, at a museum in the city of Mosul. IS considers the destroyed objects to be false idols. There are also reports that IS burned down the Mosul Central Library, which housed over 8,000 ancient manuscripts. 

Iraqi and allied forces retook portions of the city of Tikrit from IS in mid-March with the help of air support from the US. During the fighting, the mausoleum of Saddam Hussein (who was born in Tikrit) was destroyed.