IS video shows ancient Iraqi city razed to ground

A video released by the Islamic State (IS) militants shows the Sunni radical group destroying an ancient city in Iraq using power tools, bulldozers and explosives, media reported on Sunday.

The Assyrian city of Nimrud in northern Iraq was completely demolished along with its ancient monuments, some of which had been in situ for more than 3,000 years, The Independent reported citing the video released online over the weekend.

The video depicts IS militants using sledgehammers, grinders and pneumatic drills to destroy intricately carved stonework before the ancient city was levelled with explosives, it added.

"Whenever we are able in a piece of land to remove the signs of idolatry and spread monotheism, we will do it," The Jerusalem Post quoted an IS fighter as saying in the footage.

A group of men are seen in the video thanking god who they said "honoured" them by "removing and destroying everything that was held to be equal to him and worshipped without him".

The latest demolition by the IS comes after reports that the terrorist group burnt Mosul library to ground, which contained 8,000 early manuscripts.

Nimrud, which was a major Assyrian city from about 1250 BC to 610 BC, is located some 400 km from Baghdad and is among the most important archaeological sites in Iraq.