Iraqi museum receives 701 artifacts stolen during looting

Associated Press ^

[MoonMullins]

BAGHDAD - The Iraqi National Museum is welcoming home 701 artifacts stolen during the looting after Saddam Hussein's ouster in 2003.

Syrian authorities turned over items ranging from golden necklaces to clay pots that were seized by traffickers in the neighboring country.

The antiquities were displayed in a ceremony Sunday at the Baghdad museum.

Iraqi officials say Syria is the first country to hand over a large quantity of stolen antiquities. They hope others will follow its lead as Iraq struggles to restore its rich cultural heritage after five years of war.

Museums were pillaged of treasures in the chaos that followed the U.S.

[MoonMullins]

Wait a minute, something missing here ... we know that US troops were responsible for looting and pillaging the Baghdad museum ... heck, we were told so in no uncertain terms by Iraqi gov't officials in the wake of the invasion. Why aren't the guilty US soldiers being brought to justice?

I know those charges must be true, else the US new media would have cleared this up a long time ago. There's no way they would let stand an unsubstantiated charge against our troops.

As a law & order guy, I demand justice!

[Slump Tester]

"Syrian authorities turned over items ranging from golden necklaces to clay pots that were seized by traffickers in the neighboring country."

Looks like AP messed upp again. I'll bet that should be "that were seized by from traffickers in the neighboring country.

[jriemer]

This story begs for a follow-up question, “Why is this stuff being returned so many years later?”

[MoonMullins]

And maybe with a little more searching the Syrians might locate some Iraqi WMD while they’re at it.