Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that Isis has destroyed and burnt ancient books and manuscripts in Mosul.

The British Government is aware of reports that the self-styled Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has destroyed and burnt ancient books and manuscripts in northern Iraq. Whilst we are not in a position to confirm those reports we utterly condemn all acts of vandalism against Iraq’s history and culture. The UK supported the passage of UN Security Council Resolution 2199 which condemns the destruction of cultural heritage in Iraq and Syria, including the targeted destruction of religious sites and objects.