US forces stole thousands of artifacts from Iraq during invasion
US forces with Iraqi artifacts outside the Iraqi National Museum. Photo: Almaalomah News
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – A report issued by the Chinese news agency, Xinhua, confirmed that the US forces, following the invasion of Iraq in 2003, looted thousands of antiquities, not only from museums, but also through illegal excavations conducted in archaeological sites across Iraq.
The report mentioned that the Iraqi government is exerting great efforts to recover these lost artifacts, but there is still a lot of work to do, in addition to the absence of accurate data about the number of artifacts stolen from the country.
The report added that many Iraqis blame the United States for losing much of their country’s history.
During the invasion, US officials reportedly expressed frustration with the military generals’ apparent reluctance to protect archaeological sites, including the Iraqi National Museum, the report clarified.
Antiquities researcher, Amer Abdel-Razzaq, said that US tanks surrounded the Iraqi Museum during the occupation, but did not make any effort to confront the gangs or thieves who stole about 14 thousand valuable pieces from the museum.
“The remissness was deliberate, and despite the US army’s later commitment to protecting Iraqi antiquities due to pressure from Iraqi archaeological institutions, it initially took archaeological sites as bases and camps, which contributed to their destruction,” Abdel-Razzaq added.
Despite the fact that the United States has already returned thousands of artifacts to Iraq, this is not enough, the report mentioned.
According to Abdul Razzaq, the artifacts Iraq recovered represent only a small part, and there are still pieces sold at auctions in the United States, Britain and other countries, the report added.