Baghdad opens formerly looted museum in response to IS video
The museum was looted following the U.S. invasion in 2003 and was partially reopened in 2009 before officially opening its doors on Saturday.
By Fred Lambert Contact the Author | Feb. 28, 2015 at 2:45 PM
BAGHDAD, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Iraq's national museum in Baghdad, notoriously looted following the U.S. invasion in 2003, officially reopened for business Saturday following the release of a video depicting the destruction of ancient artifacts by Islamic State militants in Mosul.
The video, which emerged Thursday, showed IS fighters in the Mosul Museum using power drills, sledgehammers and pickaxes to destroy statues dating back thousands of years, including to the Assyrian Empire. They said the artifacts represented idolatry.
The Baghdad museum had been pillaged following the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, when looters stole up to 15,000 artifacts. With the help of the U.S. military several items were recovered, with some being secured in other countries for eventual repatriation. The museum has gained back about one-third of its looted treasures.
The museum had already been partially reopened in 2009, but Iraqi government officials said the official opening on Saturday was sped up in response to events in Mosul.
"Those barbaric, criminal terrorists are trying to destroy the heritage of mankind and Iraq's civilization," Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said while attending the museum's opening. "We will chase them in order to make them pay for every drop of blood shed in Iraq and for the destruction of Iraq's civilization.''
Read more:
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2015/02/28/Baghdad-opens-formerly-looted-museum-in-response-to-IS-video/6161425147963/#ixzz3T8hGjxIF
