Looted antiquities recovered

2003-04-29 08:27

As-Saliyah - More than 100 items stolen from Iraqi museums after the fall of Saddam Hussein have been recovered, the US military, criticised for failing to prevent the looting of antiquities, said on Monday.

"Iraqis started to return the items after coalition forces began urging local residents to return any artefacts taken during the looting in Baghdad," the US Central Command said in a statement from its As-Saliyah, Qatar, war headquarters.

Local clerics have also been urging people to return stolen artefacts.

"One man returned a chest filled with priceless manuscripts and parchments to a nearby mosque; a local pianist returned 10 pieces including a broken statue of an Assyrian king dated to the 9th century BC and one of the oldest recorded bronze bas-relief bulls," Centcom said.

"And after some negotiation, a man arrived with 46 stolen antiquities, then with eight more pieces, and finally with a 7 000-year-old vase," it said.

Iraqi archeologists have sharply criticised US troops for failing to halt the looting of priceless artrfacts.

- AFX