ISIS militants firebombed the Mosul Public Library on Sunday using improvised explosive devices. The director of the library said that among the thousands of torched books, more than 8,000 rare books and manuscripts were burned. The collection was irreplaceable.
The library was established in 1921 with the birth of modern Iraq. It held rare books and manuscripts from the 18th century, relics from the Ottoman Empire, as well as historical maps and newspapers. Last December ISIS burned the main library at Mosul University.
