In the past month the Iraqi Army and allied Shia militias have surprised many by re-taking most of Diyala Province, then lifting the siege of the Baiji oil refinery. At Baiji four hundred Special Forces soldiers had been surrounded and under siege for over four months, resupplied by air. Most of Diyala Province is now under Iraqi government control, and Iraqi forces have made strong inroads into ISIS-controlled Salah-ad-Din and Anbar provinces. In Syria, Kobane still holds against all odds, with ISIS forces sustaining increasingly heavy casualties in their numerous unsuccessful attempts to seize it.

Until the past week, there were few reports of the destruction of antiquities and cultural heritage sites, possibly because ISIS forces were hard pressed on multiple fronts. They are still hard-pressed, but a number of reports have filtered in over the past few days which need to be addressed.

Church Destruction in Mosul

Ever since ISIS captured Mosul in June there have been fears that they will demolish Christian churches. However, while they broke crosses and statues off the exteriors of the churches and flown the ISIS flag from their roofs, there has been no evidence of any structures being demolished...