A military offensive to take back the city of Mosul, Iraq, from the terrorist group ISIL (also called ISIS) has also resulted in the retaking of several historic sites that ISIL destroyed and looted.The article describes the current state of Khorsabad (background here), Mar Behnam (background here and links), and Nimrud. It's not good.
The offensive is being carried out by the Iraq military and the Peshmerga, which is a Kurdish force supported by Iraqi Kurdistan (an autonomous region of the country). Air strikes by a coalition of countries are supporting these ground troops. U.S. Special Forces are also on the ground and assisting in the fighting. The forces have retaken outlying areas of Mosul, and ground troops are making their way toward the center of the city. [Photos: Restoring Life to Iraq's Ruined Artifacts]
As troops advance, they have retaken a number of historic sites, and reports are coming in about the sites' condition ...
UPDATE (10 December): More on Nimrud and its inscriptions is here.
