Racing against militant threat to document Syria's heritage

FILE - In this file image posted on a militant website by the Aleppo branch of the Islamic State group on July 3, 2015, file photo, which has been verified and is consistent with other AP reporting, a militant smashes items that the group claims are smuggled archaeological pieces from the historic central town of Palmyra, Syria. Experts, conservators and local residents are scrambling to document Syria's millennia-long cultural heritage that has been damaged by the country's war since 2011, by battles against the Islamic State group and by its intentional destruction. (militant website via AP, File)

FILE - This undated file photo posted on a social media site on Aug. 25, 2015, by Islamic State militants, which has been verified and is consistent with other AP reporting, shows smoke from the detonation of the 2,000-year-old temple of Baalshamin in Syria's ancient caravan city of Palmyra. Experts, conservators and local residents are scrambling to document Syria's millennia-long cultural heritage that has been damaged by the country's war since 2011, by battles against the Islamic State group and by its intentional destruction. (Islamic State social media account via AP, File)

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