(VOVworld) – Pro-Iraqi government forces say it has recaptured the ancient city of Hatra from Islamic State militants.

Iraqi forces liberate Hatra from ISIS- Photo: AFP.TTXVN

A group called Hashed Al Shaabi announced that its fighters had liberated the city after fierce clashes with the enemy. Hatra, known as Al-Hadhr in Arabic, was established in the 3rd or 2nd century BC and became a religious and trading center of the Parthian empire. It was recognized as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 1987.