| Submit your comments on this article |
| Iraq |
| Iraqis Say Museum Looting Wasn't as Bad as Feared |
| 2003-04-20 |
| Hat tip to Oxblog. This was from Thursday, but missed by one and all... Last week's looting of the Iraq National Museum, which saw numerous items disappear from a vast collection spanning eight millennia of Mesopotamian history, has provoked world-wide outcry — and criticism of the U.S. military for its failure to protect Iraq's priceless cultural heritage. But, thanks to Iraqi preparations before the war, it seems the worst has been avoided. Donny George, the director-general of restoration at the Iraqi Antiquities Department, Wednesday said his staff had preserved the museum's most important treasures, including the kings' graves of Ur and the Assyrian bulls. These objects were hidden in vaults that haven't been violated by looters. "Most of the things were removed. We knew a war was coming, so it was our duty to protect everything," Mr. George said. "We thought there would be some sort of bombing at the museum. We never thought it could be looted." Earlier this week, some museum workers reached foreign journalists to complain about an orgy of looting in the museum, saying that little of the collection remains. As secrecy long enveloped the museum — where part of the collection had been siphoned off by Saddam Hussein's family and sold abroad — it isn't clear whether these museum workers knew about the prewar preparations to hide the most-valuable artifacts. Along with the destruction of ancient manuscripts at the Iraq National Library and other acts of vandalism throughout the city, the museum's looting has prompted a wave of anti-American anger. A belief often voiced in the streets of Baghdad holds that U.S. soldiers themselves stole the most-precious objects in the collection and used the looters to cover up the crime. Mr. George, standing side by side with the American commander in the area, Lt. Col. Eric Schwartz of the U.S. Army Third Infantry Division's Task Force 1-64, dispelled this view. But he said many valuable items are still missing. Among the antiquities unaccounted for so far, Mr. George said, are the sacral vase of Warqa, from Sumerian times, and the bronze statue of Basitqi, from the Accadian civilization. The museum compound was occupied Wednesday by a company-size tank unit, and a notice by the gate says the site is protected by the U.S. military. The museum floor is littered with debris, and access inside is forbidden because Iraqi specialists are working to catalogue what remains and to try to restore some of the items, Lt. Col. Schwartz said. "There was a tremendous amount of looting just for destruction purposes — and there were artifacts that were not destroyed at all," he said. "It was not as bad as I thought it would be." Lt. Col. Schwartz, whose functions also include feeding the lions in the abandoned Baghdad Zoo next door, said he couldn't move into the museum compound and protect it from looters last week because his soldiers were taking fire from the building — and were determined not to respond. There is an Iraqi army trench in the museum's front lawn, and Lt. Col. Schwartz said his troops found many Iraqi army uniforms inside. "If there is any dirty trick in the book," he said, "they sure used it." Unfortunately, this is the only article I've seen discussing this topic, and it's hidden in the Wall Street Journal. Wonder how much else is being covered up by our wonderful US reporters. |
| Posted by:Old Patriot |
| #3 "feeding the lions", trouble-making Muslim clerics, hmmmmmmmmmmm! I've got an idea! |
| Posted by: Tom 2003-04-20 16:31:12 |
| #2 Well, this will give them one less thing to cry about. |
| Posted by: George 2003-04-20 16:19:04 |
| #1 AAAAAAARARRGGHHHH! Stupid computers! The title of this article should be "Iraqis Say Museum Looting Wasn't as Bad as Feared". Somehow, the last half was left out when I pasted it. Fred, is this something you can repair? IF not, we'll just go with it as it is... |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-04-20 15:33:35 |