UN chief 'appalled' by Islamic State's demolition of Palmyra

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday he was appalled by reports that Islamic State militants had demolished a temple in Syria's ancient Palmyra.

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon said on Monday he was appalled by reports that Islamic State militants had demolished a temple in Syria's ancient Palmyra.

A picture taken on March 14, 2014 shows the Temple of Baal Shamin seen through two Corinthian columns in the ancient oasis city of Palmyra, 215 kilometres northeast of Damascus. Islamic State group jihadists blew up the ancient temple of Baal Shamin in the UNESCO-listed Syrian city of Palmyra, on August 23, 2015 (AFP Photo/Joseph Eid)

IS fighters packed explosives in the Baal Shamin temple and blew up the shrine on Sunday, Syria's antiquities chief said.

Ban also voiced outrage over the murder of Khaled al-Assaad, the retired chief archeologist at Palmyra whose body was mutilated after he was beheaded on August 18.

"These barbaric acts of terror join a long list of crimes committed over the past four years in Syria against its civilian population and heritage," Ban said in a statement.

Palmyra is listed as a world heritage site by the UN cultural body Unesco, and Ban recalled that destroying world cultural sites was a war crime.

The UN chief called on world governments to "unite and act swiftly to put a stop to this terrorist activity."