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BAGHDAD — Iraqi forces pressed their offensive against ISIS Friday, expecting to reach the outskirts of the militant-held city of Tikrit, a day after the extremists reportedly “bulldozed” a famed archaeological site in the area.

In Paris, the head of the UN’s cultural agency said the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage — such as the latest rampage at Iraq’s archaeological site of Nimrud — amounts to a “war crime.”

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The discovery of the treasures of Nimrud’s royal tombs in the 1980s is considered one of the 20th century’s most significant archaeological finds. It dates back almost 3,000 years and has been compared to King Tutankhamun’s tomb in Egypt.

The Iraqi Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said late Thursday that ISIS militants “bulldozed” the renowned archaeological site of the ancient city of Nimrud in northern Iraq.

The destruction is part of the group’s campaign to enforce its violent interpretation of Islamic law, destroying ancient archaeological sites it says promoted apostasy.