​The Iraqi Ministry of Culture recently announced a significant recovery of 23,000 artifacts, most of which were looted during the illegal U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. This act was seen as an attempt to erase Iraq’s cultural identity. Yet often overlooked, the rich Iraqi Jewish Archive remains a contentious topic, with parts of it ending up in Tel Aviv before reaching other destinations.

On 10 April, 2003, weeks before the subsequent U.S. occupation, U.S. tanks surrounded the Iraqi Oil Ministry, the intelligence building, and the Iraqi National Museum. While U.S. forces were quick to secure the oil and intelligence buildings, the doors of the National Museum—founded in 1924 in Baghdad’s Al-Alawi area—were also left wide open for antiquities traffickers to pillage and vandalize its contents.

It was by no coincidence that U.S. forces established bases within crucial archaeological sites across Iraq, including Babylon dating back to 2300 BC, Ur from 3800 BC, Hatra, Nimrud, and others.
Speaking to The Cradle, Antiquities expert Haider Farhan says that:

"The museum contains thousands of rare artifacts and manuscripts, but there are no official statistics on the number of antiquities stolen from the museum in 2003."
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According to Farhan,

"U.S. forces are directly and indirectly responsible for stealing the museum’s contents."

Anarchy and looting

Iraqi reports indicate that approximately 120,000 artifacts were looted and stolen from Iraq between 2003-2017, the bulk of which was during the U.S. invasion of Iraq, while ISIS bears responsibility for stealing the possessions of the Mosul Museum in the north of the country, and some archaeological sites in the areas captured after 2014.

Director of the Iraqi Manuscripts Department and spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture, Ahmed al-Alaywi, tells The Cradle that his ministry was able to “recover more than 23,000 artifacts within three years, 17,300 of which were recovered two years ago.”

The looting of the Iraqi Museum did not take place by chance; organized gangs, including individuals from neighboring Arab countries, took advantage of the chaos. These looters were familiar with the museum’s layout, its halls, and even the hidden storage rooms. Even the most secure spaces, such as a hidden room within the museum, were not spared from theft.

According to a former official at the National Museum,

"There were organized gangs from Arab countries neighboring Iraq who stormed the museum, while the American forces in the courtyard of the museum turned a blind eye."

The museum official, who asked not to be named, informs The Cradle that “The looting continued for nearly three days.”

"We had a secret room in the museum, in which we keep the precious antique ornaments, and when we returned on April 12, 2003 to the museum, we found that these ornaments had been stolen, even though that room had a hidden door."
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The Emirati role

The museum official’s claim about the involvement of other Arab nationalities was confirmed by the former spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture, Abd al-Zahra al-Talqani, who revealed in a statement in 2011 that “the looted Iraqi antiquities were smuggled to a neighboring country, and from there to America and Europe.”

Ministry spokesman Alayawi confirms to The Cradle that:

 "The vast majority of the stolen antiquities from Iraq fled to one of the [Persian] Gulf countries and then to the United States, some of them through the theft of the National Museum, and others through the illegal exhumation of antiquities mafias that took place during the security chaos."

This was corroborated by an expert in Iraqi antiquities, Sundus Muhammad, who had accused, in press statements, the U.S. forces of “contributing to smuggling Iraqi antiquities out of the country, after controlling the antiquities of Babylon and Akkad, in agreement with the antiquities trafficking mafias.”

One of the most significant pieces of evidence implicating the UAE in smuggling Iraqi antiquities is the 2017 ruling by the U.S. Department of Justice against the American company “Hobby Lobby.” The company was fined $3 million, having illegally purchased 5,500 ancient Iraqi artifacts from dealers in the UAE, subsequently smuggling them to the U.S. and Israel using forged shipping documents.

At the time of the case, The Guardian reported that in September 2011, a package containing about 1,000 clay bullae, an ancient form of inscribed identification, was received by Hobby Lobby from an Israeli dealer and accompanied by a false declaration stating that its country of origin was Israel.

After the U.S. invasion, Washington formed the so-called Coalition Provisional Authority and established control over key facilities in the country, including its airports, where smuggling of antiquities by local, Arab, and foreign individuals took place under their watch. U.S. forces contracted with a foreign security company to supervise flights, secure the entry and exit of travelers, and search their baggage.

An intelligence source who had worked at Baghdad Airport since 2004 and who requested that his name not be disclosed, explains to The Cradle that:
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"[U.S.] forces were in complete control of Baghdad Airport, and no goods could be transported to and from the airport except with the knowledge of the Americans, but they were turning a blind eye to local and Arab personalities."

Other sources speak of the involvement of the UAE in this cultural theft. The former commander of the protection company for Iraqi politician Ahmed Chalabi, Muhammad Faisal al-Ghazi, admitted to transferring antiquities to the UAE, from where they were further smuggled to Israel.

In televised statements, Ghazi said,

"On April 22, 2003, we went to the National Museum by order of Chalabi. We brought a group of antiquities, including a copy of the Babylonian Torah. Those antiquities were handed over to Tamara, Chalabi’s daughter. The talk was about protecting these antiquities until formation of the government, but this did not happen."

In May 2023, the spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Major General Yahya Rasool, announced the dismantling of an international network involved in smuggling antiquities from Babylon Governorate. Among the network members was an Arab national.

Rasool said in a statement seen by The Cradle  that:

"Based on the tasks entrusted to the Iraqi National Intelligence Service in (Babylon) and within the framework of the work exerted to undermine external threats to Iraqi national security, the Intelligence Service was able to dismantle an international network comprised of four people, one of whom is an Arab, smuggling antiquities including three ancient manuscripts."
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Shop Mesopotamian Civilization—online

Unsurprisingly, the illegal trade of Iraqi and other West Asian artifacts has proliferated online, with hundreds of pieces being sold for as little as $400 on various websites, including several on the dark web. This rampant online trade poses a significant threat to Iraq’s cultural heritage.

The “Live Auctioneers” and “Trocader” websites were among the sites that monitored some looted Iraqi artifacts, as these pieces became available for direct purchase by either individuals or companies.

Iraqi archaeologist Abd al-Amir al-Hamdani tells The Cradle that:

"Selling Iraqi artifacts on websites at these low prices is a real catastrophe for researching a cultural heritage. The value of these artifacts is invaluable and cannot be the personal property of anyone, because they are the wealth and civilization of an entire people."

The Israeli connection

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an official source in the Iraqi Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities, reveals to The Cradle that “from 2003 until their departure in 2011, U.S. forces secured for Jewish [Israeli] excavation teams to excavate Iraqi archaeological sites, especially in Babylon and Ur.”

In 2010, Israeli Channel 7 reported on a Torah scroll that had been smuggled from Iraq to Tel Aviv. This raised questions about how such a rare piece ended up there, considering it was supposed to be maintained by the Hoover Institution of Stanford University.

Until today, the controversy surrounding the Iraqi Jewish Archive remains. Despite an agreement between the Iraqi government and the U.S. for its return to Baghdad in 2014, the archive mysteriously ended up in Tel Aviv in 2015.

Various reports offer conflicting accounts of how it reached the U.S., with accusations against the Iraqi Memory Foundation for its involvement in handing the archive over to the Americans.

According to the writer and researcher Nabil al-Rubaie, the Jewish archive included 48 scrolls of passages from the Book of Genesis written on gazelle skin, calendars in Hebrew, 7002 books, and a group of sermons in Hebrew dating back to 1692.

It also included, according to Rubaie, 1,700 rare artifacts documenting the era of the first and second Babylonian captivity, the oldest copy of the Babylonian Talmud, the oldest copy of the Torah, and legal records dating back several centuries left by the Jews of Iraq, along with other valuables.

The Iraqi Memory Foundation, founded by Kanaan Makiya in 1992, has played a pivotal role in collecting Iraq’s archives, including documents from the Baath Party archive and Iraqi Kurdistan Database. Notably, former Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi worked at the same institution.

In 2018, the director of the Iraqi Books and Documents House claimed that an officer from Iraq’s former intelligence service had approached opposition members after their return to Iraq, offering to reveal the location of the Jewish archive. This raised suspicions about the circumstances surrounding its discovery by U.S. forces.

Israel has never adhered to international agreements requiring the return of stolen antiquities. Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to hold thousands of files from the Iraqi archives under the pretext of ‘restoration.’
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The ongoing war against Iraq’s heritage

U.S. actions in Iraq have also had a devastating impact on its immense cultural heritage. In 1991, Ur came under heavy U.S. bombardment, causing significant damage to its ancient ziggurat.

During the 2003 invasion, the Nasiriyah Museum was turned into a military barracks, and the archaeological site of Kish was used as a training base, leading to the destruction of extensive archaeological areas.

Adding to Iraq’s woes, the rise of ISIS in 2014 resulted in the theft of collections from the Mosul Museum and the demolition of several archaeological sites. However, many sources suggest that ISIS staged these acts of destruction to divert attention from the actual looting of valuable artifacts. To date, the terrorist organization has sold hundreds of artifacts by smuggling them to Turkiye, and from there to Europe.

Iraq boasts over 15,000 archaeological sites, which have attracted the attention of antiquities traffickers since 2003. So far, Iraq has managed to recover 23,000 artifacts, primarily from the U.S. and Britain, despite these countries having robust border controls.

The cultural heritage of the “Land of the Two Rivers” has faced continuous threats, with various parties, namely the U.S., Israel, and the UAE, playing key roles in its theft and destruction. The recovery of artifacts is an ongoing struggle, and the international community must step up to prevent further loss and facilitate the return of stolen items to their rightful place in Iraq’s rich history.

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Iraq is facing a “human rights emergency” as a result of the effects of climate change on the country, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights warned on Monday. 

Speaking before the United Nations Human Rights Council, Volker Turk, used Iraq as an example of the “environmental horror” the planet is facing as the global climate change crisis worsens. 

“In Basra - where 30 years ago, I was told, date palms lined lush canals - drought, searing heat, extreme pollution and fast-depleting supplies of fresh water are creating barren landscapes of rubble and dust,” Turk said. 

Iraq is among the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including water and food insecurity, according to the United Nations. 

“Last month, in Iraq, the cradle of so many civilizations, I witnessed a small piece of the environmental horror that is our global planetary crisis,” he stated. 

The high commissioner in June visited Iraq and the Kurdistan Region where he met officials and discussed human rights issues, including climate change. 

“This spiraling damage is a human rights emergency for Iraq - and many other countries,” Turk warned. 

He decried the lack of unity among global leadership to tackle climate change, accusing them of instead adopting a “politics of division and distraction” as well as the “politics of indifference, the numbing of our mind and soul” referring to the lack of compassion to the increasing death of migrants. 

“We do not need more warnings. The dystopian future is already here. We need urgent action, now,” he stated.

Iraq’s President Abdul Latif Rashid and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani have repeatedly addressed the challenges presented by the country’s water crisis and warned against the mismanagement of water resources.

The country is facing a severe water shortage because of reduced precipitation, higher temperatures, and waste and mismanagement. The crisis is worsened by upstream dams in Turkey and Iran that have led to a significant decrease in the volume of water entering the country.
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The German government on Wednesday decided to extend its military mandate in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region by an additional year, continuing its assistance in training and advising armed forces in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS). 

Germany has decided to keep their armed forces deployed in Iraq until October 31, 2024, the government said in a statement. “The Iraqi armed forces and security forces are to be sustainably enabled to ensure security and stability in the country independently and to prevent the terrorist organization of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) from regaining strength.” 

The motion still requires the approval of the German Bundestag (parliament), and the additional operational expenses will amount to around €91.6 million (approx. $98.4 million), according to the statement. 

Germany has been an essential member of the global coalition against ISIS. The Coalition was formally established in October 2014, after ISIS took control of vast swathes of territories in Iraq and Syria. Consisting of 84 nations, the US-led Coalition’s mission has been “degrading and ensuring Daesh’s enduring defeat,” it says on its website, using Arabic acronym for the extremist group.

ISIS swept through large parts of Iraq in 2014, seizing vast swathes of land and committing countless atrocities, including genocide. The group was territorially defeated in 2017 but it continues to pose serious security risks in the country though hit-and-run attacks, bombings, and abductions, particularly in the disputed areas between Baghdad and Erbil. 

Weapons provided by Germany, especially the guided anti-tank MILAN missiles, were very essential in Peshmerga forces’ fight against the terror group.

“The goal of the mission has not yet been achieved, but the international community has come significantly closer to the goal in recent years. A continuation of the commitment is necessary in order to consolidate, expand, and further develop what has been achieved so far,” the German government said about the anti-ISIS mission. 

The combat mission of the US-led Coalition ended in Iraq at the end of 2021 and the German army has mostly been based in the Kurdistan Region. ​

The US Army is storing offensive military weapons at Iraq's Ain al-Asad base, in breach of a 2021 agreement between Washington and Baghdad that saw the US army officially end its combat role in the country and transition to an “advisory role.”

An unnamed senior official in the Iraqi military revealed to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that he saw weaponry, including Black Hawk and Apache helicopters, during a recent visit to the airbase in western Iraq.

"The recent visit of the military delegation to Ain al-Asad base revealed the presence of offensive equipment and weapons," the official told the UK-based outlet before highlighting that “this is contrary to the agreement concluded in 2021, which allowed the presence of defensive weapons with the advisory task force.”

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, visited the base in Anbar province as part of a larger military delegation. This visit took place on 26 August, according to Iraqi media.

He also reported seeing an advanced radar system and monitoring equipment at the base, which served as the second largest US military airbase in Iraq during the illegal occupation of the country.

The official stressed that Baghdad intends to press the US on the issue, with special consideration given to US military movements in neighboring Syria. Over recent weeks, Iraq has seen a significant surge of US troops and military equipment, which US planners say are “part of the exchange of existing forces” in Syria.

The US military took control of Ain al-Assad in 2003 following the illegal invasion and occupation of the country.

While Washington initially withdrew its forces in 2011 when the White House failed to secure a new Status of Forces (SOFA) agreement with former Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, US troops returned to the base under the pretext of training Iraqis to fight ISIS six months after the extremist group invaded and occupied Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, in June 2014.

On 18 December 2021, the Iraqi government announced that “no combat forces of the international coalition or NATO” remained inside Ain al-Assad base. However, 2,500 US troops remain in the country – many at Ain al-Asad base – in a “training and advisory role.”

Their continued presence is part of an agreement reached between Washington and Baghdad in July 2021 that was meant to see the complete withdrawal of US troops – similar to their exit from Afghanistan.

Calls for Washington to end its military occupation of Iraq intensified in January 2020 after the Iraqi parliament voted on a law to withdraw permission for the US to operate on Iraqi soil in response to the assassination of Iranian anti-terror commander Qassem Soleimani and the deputy leader of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU),  Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, outside Baghdad airport.
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In March of this year, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin declared, "US forces are ready to remain in Iraq at the invitation of the government of Iraq.”

​Iraq exported 3.423 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil in August, a slight fall from 3.444 million bpd in July, according to preliminary Oil Ministry data.

A rise in international oil prices helped lift Iraq’s earnings from oil sales to $8.846 billion in August from $8.294 billion in July, according to the ministry.
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​"During this year's Arbaeen, the number of pilgrims leaving the country exceeded 4 million, breaking the annual record" Iran’s Police Chief Ahmad Reza Radan said on an inspection to Chazzabeh border crossing in the southwest of the country on Thursday. 

He said that Arbaeen pilgrims set a new record this year, stressing that the Iranian took part in the religious event hugely despite enemies’ propaganda campaign to discourage them from participating in the ceremonies.

"More than 10 nationals of different countries have gone to Iraq through Iranian border crossings," the commander of the police or the Law Enforcement said.

General Radan said that as many as 400,000 nationals of other countries participated in Arbaeen march in Iraq after crossing Iranian borders.

He further thanked the Iraqi government for their "extraordinary" and fascinating cooperation during Arbaeen this year.
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​Nightmare of the Christian community

What the Christian community in Iraq faces can only be defined as intense hatred and hostility. Since 2003, Christians in central and southern Iraq have been subjected to killing, abuse, kidnapping, discrimination, and forced displacement. Over a hundred of their churches have been attacked, and a dozen of their clergy members, including bishops, priests, and deacons, have been killed, kidnapped, and tortured. Around 1,350 Christian civilians lost their lives. Out of a Christian population of 2.1 million, a staggering 80 percent fled the country, seeking refuge abroad, while others were internally displaced to the Kurdistan Region, following the historic initiative by President Masoud Barzani in 2003, which aimed to provide sanctuary to all Iraqi religious minorities.
 
More than a Patriarch's struggle

The ongoing turmoil faced by Christians today mirrors the trials previously endured by Jews in Iraq. The emergence of militias intent on occupying Christian lands and properties in areas like the Nineveh Plains and other Iraqi cities encountered a significant obstacle in their path — Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church.
 
As the spiritual leader of Iraq's largest church, representing approximately 80 percent of Iraqi Christians, Patriarch Sako opposed the creation of Christian militias. His beatitude consistently urged the Iraqi government to prevent the existence of such groups, as Christians inherently advocate for a robust and stable government, not a fragile one.
Influential figures like the bishops of the (Nineveh Bishops Council) also opposed militia formation and the acquisition of Christian political representation in the Iraqi parliament through tens of thousands of votes outside of the Christian house gathered by militias to support their proxies and impose them on Christians , intended to consolidate the political power of these militias.
 
The resilience of Christians shocked the militias, prompting them to target the head of the most powerful church, aiming to set an example that would discourage others from opposing their expansionist policies in the Nineveh Plains. This culminated in efforts to compel their allies to affect the decision of the presidential institution of Iraq, by issuing a presidential decree by the Iraqi president Abdul Latif Rashid, to withdraw the presidential dated for more than 10 years ago, only concerning Patriarch Sako. 
 
Suppressing the Christian voice

While numerous other decrees by the Iraqi presidency for various bishops and churches leaders remain in place, exclusively targeting Patriarch Sako serves the purpose of conveying a clear message: Christians must remain silent and cooperative during the militias' efforts to alter the demographics of their ancestral lands in the Nineveh Plains. This silence is also expected regarding the multitude of human rights violations and abuses committed by these militias.
 
Since July 2023, Patriarch Sako has sought refuge in Erbil, where he was warmly welcomed by the government and the people. His choice signifies a protest against the actions of the Iraqi president and the militias, with thousands of Christians across Iraq, the Kurdistan Region, and elsewhere raising their voices against these unjust decisions. Despite the protests, neither the Iraqi government nor the presidency has taken steps to address this plight or end the ongoing demographic changes in Christian territories within the Nineveh Plains.
 
Nineveh Plains held hostage by militias

On August 4th, 2023, the (Nineveh Bishops Council) organized a protest demanding immediate action by the Iraqi government to stop the continuous demographic alterations in the Nineveh Plains, threatening the Christian community's presence. Additionally, the council sought the enactment of an electoral law ensuring genuine Christian representation in the Iraqi parliament. The bishops, and thousands of Christians in the protest were shocked that the militias reacted by closing checkpoints and preventing journalists, as well as Christians from other towns and villages, from joining the protest.

What should Christians do?
Christians and other minorities in Iraq need to unite efforts, and organize their movement on both levels international, and local. Christian parties; Chaldean, Assyrian, Syriac, and Armenian, with Ezidi, Kakaye, and Turkmens need to understand that alone they lose, together they have a very strong chance to prevail, and guarantee their existence in their historic ancestral homeland. 
 
To be or not to be
It is imperative for the United Nations and its Security Council to take steps to safeguard the imperiled Christian community in Iraq, particularly in the Nineveh Plains. Establishing an internationally protected and closely monitored zone emerges as the most effective solution. Especially by the implementation of Sinjar agreement. Failure to act risks the world losing one of its oldest Christian communities. The international community must comprehend that Christians in Iraq face profound danger, a continuous hushed Genocide!

Sources

​The Ministry of Natural Resources of the Kurdistan region of Iraq said on Wednesday that several rockets were fired towards the Khor Mor gas field in Sulaymaniyah governorate in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

Two rockets landed near the perimeter of the field, Iraqi Kurdish officials said, who did not immediately report any damage or casualties, according to Reuters.

Local media outlets reported that a security force rushed to the scene shortly following the occurrence of the attack and started an investigation, adding that two Katyusha rockets were fired from a nearby location in Tuz Khurmatu district in the north-eastern part of Salah Al-Din governorate.

In July 2022, several rockets landed at the Khor Mor gas field, but no damages or casualties were reported, according to Iraqi Kurdish officials.

The Kurdish officials explained that the attack was one of several attacks on the area in recent weeks, none of which have been claimed by any group.

At that time, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) called on the federal government to take the necessary measures to reduce these attacks and prevent their recurrence.

The KRG also mentioned that these repeated attacks aim to undermine security and stability throughout Iraq and the economic prosperity of the Kurdistan region in particular.