Militants from the Sunni Jihadist Islamic State group have executed three prisoners in Syria's historic city of Palmyra, activists said on Tuesday. The Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, ISIL and Daesh in Arabic, has executed three unidentified prisoners in Palmyra by tying them to Roman-era temple pillars and blowing them up, said Rami Abdel Rahman, chief of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, according to Daily Mail.
The explosions completely destroyed the 2,000 year-old columns. The killings took place on Sunday.
"IS tied three individuals it had arrested from Palmyra and its outskirts to the columns... and executed them by blowing up' three columns," Rahman said, according to Al Arabiya.
"There was no one there to see (the execution). The columns were destroyed and IS has prevented anyone from heading to the site," Palmyra-based activist Khaled al-Homsi said, according to AFP.
The terrorists have destroyed two temples, an arch and several columns at the UNESCO World Heritage site. They also beheaded renowned Syrian archaeologist Khaled al-Asaad, the chief of the Palmyra ruins for more than 40 years.
ISIS, which considers the ancient site as satanic, has also been engaged in smuggling parts of historic monuments and temples out of Syria, according to Al Bawaba.
