Five-minute clip shows group of bearded men in a museum using hammers and drills to smash several large statues.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group has released a video purportedly showing its fighters using sledgehammers to smash ancient artefacts in Iraq's northern city of Mosul.
The five-minute video shows a group of bearded men in a museum using hammers and drills to destroy several large statues, including one depicting a winged-bull Assyrian protective deity that dates back to 9th century BC.
"Oh Muslims, these artefacts that are behind me were idols and gods worshipped by people who lived centuries ago instead of Allah," a bearded man tells the camera as he stands in front of the partially demolished winged-bull.
"Our prophet ordered us to remove all these statues as his followers did when they conquered nations."
ISIL has destroyed a number of shrines, including Muslim holy sites, in order to eliminate what it views as heresy.
The group is also believed to have sold ancient artefacts on the black market in order to finance their bloody campaign across the region.
The video, which bore the logo of ISIL's media arm, was posted on social media accounts affiliated with ISIL.
It appeared authentic, based on the Associate Press news agency's knowledge of the Mosul Museum.
Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, and the surrounding Nineveh province fell to ISIL last June, after Iraqi security forces melted away.
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