LOC12:38
09:38 GMT
By Mohammad Al-Ghazzi
BAGHDAD, June 15 (KUNA) -- Iraqi authorities will deploy special forces at
the airport and along the borders to curb smuggling of Iraqi antiquities.
Head of the Iraqi antiquities authority, Dr. Ameera Edan, said in a
statement to KUNA on Sunday that it coordinated with the Iraqi Ministry of
Interior to form a security force, specialized in the field of antiquities, to
curb smuggling of the treasures out of the country.
Dr. Edan indicated at coordination with Chief of the Iraqi National Police,
Major General Hussein Al-Awwadi, to form what was named as "Antiquities
police", to operate under the Ministry of Interior's jurisdictions.
She added that 139 graduates of Antiquities College joined the special
force to curb the smuggling of antiquities, and clarified that borders with
neighboring countries have recently witnessed "active missions of smuggling of
Iraqi treasures."
Iraq holds 12,000 sites of ancient artifacts, and the process of assigning
specialized guards for all those sites is a difficult process.
Baghdad has recently taken delivery of several ancient artifacts, seized by
U.S. custom officers in Philadelphia after being looted from Baghdad's
national museum during the U.S.-led freedom operation in 2003. (end)
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