Terrorists in Syria loot artifacts to raise money

As the crisis in Syria  nears its third year, the world community  warn that Syria’s historical sites face a new, more dangerous threat: a sophisticated network of smugglers and dealers looking to capitalize on the country’s cultural riches.To the caches of ammunition and medicines that they lug each day from this border city back into their homeland, Syrian terrorist groups  have added new tools to support their fight against the Syrian government,according to the Washington Post.

The terrorist groups , struggling to finance their effort, have joined an emerging trade in illicitly acquired Syrian artifacts and antiquities.

 “Some days we are against the government; others we are archaeologists,” Jihad Abu Saoud, a 27-year-old terrorist  from the Syrian city of Idlib, said in an interview in this northern Jordanian city. Saoud claimed to have recently uncovered tablets from the Bronze Age city of Ebla inscribed in the Sumerian script.

Since the onset of the crisis in Syria, the international community has expressed alarm over the fate of the country’s diverse heritage landmarks and stunning archaeological sites.

 “In light of previous experiences in situations of conflict, with respect to cultural heritage, the risk of looting and illicit trafficking of Syrian cultural objects appears to be high,” said Anna Paolini, head of the Jordan office of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

The extent of the trade is unknown because of difficulties accessing historical sites in the country, according to UNESCO, which hosted a regional workshop in Amman on Sunday on protecting Syrian cultural heritage from trafficking. There are conflicting reports about the fate of artifacts from Syria, long a cultural crossroads.

Twelve of the country’s 36 museums have been looted, according to the France-based Association for the Protection of Syrian Archaeology. In a Jan. 22 report, however, the Syrian Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums said the bulk of the items have been accounted for and transferred to secure locations.

Only two pieces have been taken from display cases since the start of the conflict, the ministry reported: a bronze statue from the northwestern city of Hama dating to the Aramaic period and a collection of marble figurines and tablets from the museum at Apamea.

“This isn’t just the history of Syria but the history of mankind at stake,” said Maamoun Abdulkarim, head of the Syrian antiquities directorate. Before the crisis s, he said, plunderers “were digging at night. Now they are digging in broad daylight.”

M.D