Iraq's Hatra retaken from IS militants, but still vulnerable

The liberation of the ancient city of Hatra from the Islamic State is only a small first step toward protecting its ancient treasures.
A picture shows the UNESCO-listed ancient city of Hatra, south of Mosul, on April 27, 2017. Iraqi forces retook the town of Hatra, southwest of Mosul, on the third day of an operation that saw them wrest back the archeological site from the Islamic State group. The ancient city is one of the heritage jewels of Iraq and was damaged by IS after they took over large parts of the country three years ago. / AFP PHOTO / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)
The UNESCO-listed ancient city of Hatra, south of Mosul, Iraq, is seen in this photo taken April 27, 2017. - AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images
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Adnan Abu Zeed
@adnanabuzeed
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Iraq is assessing the rehabilitation needs of the ancient city of Hatra, near Mosul in the country’s north, after retaking it from the Islamic State (IS) on April 26. The jihadist group had occupied the site since 2014 and in March 2015 bulldozed some of the ruins, which date back to the second century and include ancient architecture and other priceless antiquities.

At one point, members of the group appeared in a video using sledgehammers to destroy antiquities, sparking fears that a priceless piece of human heritage, included on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1985, would be lost forever.

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