In the Washington Post, the deputy director of the Iraqi Archaeological museum ransacked by looters says:
“If there were five American soldiers at the door, everything would have been fine,” Amin said about the museum. “They’re supposed to be here to protect us. They should be protecting us.”
Interestingly, the Oil Ministry was very well protected:
Some Iraqis, however, question the allocation of U.S. forces around the capital. They note a whole company of Marines, along with at least a half-dozen amphibious assault vehicles, has been assigned to guard the Oil Ministry, while many other ministries — including trade, information, planning, health and education — remain unprotected.
“Why just the oil ministry?” Jaf asked. “Is it because they just want our oil?”
And another article from the Washington Post describes how scholars warned the Pentagon about the risks back in January!
Scholars first sounded a public alarm about the possible destruction of Iraqi antiquities in January, when a statement from the Archaeological Institute of America called on “all governments” to protect cultural sites during an expected conflict and in its aftermath.
More links to related stories posted on Stand Down:
Now certainly this is not a smoking gun to determine the foreign policy of a whole country — but it should be very disturbing that this administration has little regard for history, antiquity, and the 1954 Hague Convention.
