Iraqi forces pressed their offensive against the Islamic State group 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, which has been compared to King Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt - amounts to a "war crime."
The battle to wrest Tikrit - Saddam Hussein's hometown - from the Islamic State is a major test for the Iraqi forces and allied Shiite militias fighting on their side.