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The unbelievable damage Islamic State has done to ancient sites in Iraq and Syria

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August 31, 2015 at 6:53 p.m. EDT
Iraqis inspect the wreckage of the grave of the Nebi Yunus, or the prophet Jonah, in Mosul, Iraq, on July 24, 2014. (European Pressphoto Agency)

As the Islamic State continues its efforts to create a "caliphate," killing thousands in its path, the group is also pursuing another campaign: the destruction of historic sites.

The militant group has destroyed numerous sites that have high historic and cultural value. And the destruction is never a coincidence -- as my colleague Ishaan Tharoor writes: