The International Criminal Court has sentenced an Islamist militant who destroyed ancient shrines in Timbuktu to nine years in jail. Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi admitted to leading rebel forces who destroyed historic mausoleums at the world heritage site in Mali in 2012.<br/><br/>Judges at the court in The Hague found he had shown remorse and empathy for the crime. It is the first sentence based on cultural destruction as a war crime. It is also the first time the court has tried a jihadist.