The Takfiri ISIL militants have “bulldozed” the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud in the northern part of Iraq, Iraqi government officials say.

The Takfiri group “assaulted the historic city of Nimrud and bulldozed it with heavy vehicles,” read a post on an official Facebook page of the Iraqi Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on Thursday.

The ISIL group released a video on February 26 showing its militants using sledgehammers and drills to smash ancient statues at the Ninawa museum in Mosul, which put on display Assyrian artifacts dating back to the 9th century B.C.

The Takfiri terrorists have already razed to the ground a number of mosques in Syria and Iraq, many of them dating back to the early years of the Islamic civilization. The terrorists have also destroyed tombs belonging to revered Shia and Sunni figures.

ISIL terrorists, who have already been persecuting minorities and people of various faiths, are also targeting artifacts and museums.

Officials in Mosul said in early February that the ISIL had burnt a precious collection of historic books and manuscripts in the Ninawa museum. Tens of thousands of priceless documents, some of them registered with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), were destroyed in flames.