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Wednesday, September 3, 2025 |
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| UNESCO voices alarm over reported book-burning in Iraq |
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Iraqi government forces gather on February 2, 2015 at the damaged al-Sodor Bridge, over the Tigris River, near al-Mansuriya in Iraq's Diyala province, after government forces retook the area from Islamic State group's control. Iraqi forces have "liberated" Diyala province from the Islamic State jihadist group, retaking all populated areas of the eastern region. The symbolic victory for Baghdad, which has at times struggled to push IS back, could clear the way for further advances against the jihadists. AFPPHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE.
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PARIS (AFP).- UNESCO on Tuesday voiced concern over reports of mass book-burning in Iraq, saying it would be one of the most "devastating" such actions in history if confirmed.
Referring to reports that thousands of books on philosophy, law, science and poetry have been torched in recent weeks, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said it was part of a campaign of "cultural cleansing."
"If confirmed, this would be one of the most devastating acts of destruction of library collections in human history," UNESCO said.
"Such destruction is a cruel reminder that the nations of the world must remain united to combat such fanaticism today," Bokova added.
Islamic State extremists currently hold the city of Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq.
US air strikes against the group have aimed to put pressure on the group. Kurdish peshmerga forces have also launched successful offensives against IS-held roads near Mosul.
UNESCO said the "armed extremists in Iraq" were targeting "cultural heritage, cultural and religious minorities, and the documents and written evidence of one of the oldest civilisations in human history."
© 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse
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