Iraq on Monday exhibited several ancient artefacts that it said had been returned by the United States and other countries, long after they were looted and smuggled out following the 2003 U.S. invasion.
Ancient artifacts, that were stolen from Iraq and returned after they were seized by the U.S. government, are displayed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Baghdad, Iraq July 8, 2024. Reuters/Ahmed Saad
Iraq on Monday exhibited several ancient artefacts that it said had been returned by the United States and other countries, long after they were looted and smuggled out following the 2003 U.S. invasion.
Iraqi authorities have been trying to retrieve thousands of archaeological relics missing since the invasion, which was followed by widespread looting in the country that some historians regard as the cradle of civilisation.
Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein handed the recently recovered relics over to Culture, Tourism and Antiquities Minister Ahmed al-Badrani at a ceremony in Baghdad.
Most of the artefacts on display at the foreign ministry headquarters were returned by the U.S. after a visit by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to Washington in April, Badrani said.
He said other relics had been returned by other states, but gave no details.
Hussein said more "rare archeological collections" would be returned by Switzerland and Japan this month.
Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed
The commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards warned Israel on Thursday against attacking the Islamic Republic in retaliation for a missile barrage as the Israeli military stepped up its offensive in Lebanon against Tehran-backed Hezbollah.
A German warship operating as part of the United Nations' UNIFIL mission brought down an unmanned flying object off the coast of Lebanon on Thursday, a spokesperson for the German defence ministry told Reuters.
Israel has a right to target Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah even as it may be hiding in civilian buildings in Lebanon, but should do so in a way that protects civilians, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Wednesday.
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