Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS) militants have reportedly killed an archaeologist Khaled Asaad who looked after the Roman ruins in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra.
According to the BBC, ISIS militants took Asaad hostage after they seized the Unesco World Heritage site earlier this year.
The family of the 82-year-old scholar said that he had been beheaded by ISIS jihadis, according to Syria's director of antiquities, Maamoun Abdulkarim.
Asaad had been working on Palmyra for more than 50 years.
He was the head of antiquities at the ancient ruins, which is considered one of the most important historic sites in the Middle East.
