The Wall Street Journal (Wednesday, February 11) is reporting that the looting of Syria's archeological sites is lining the coffers of terrorist organizations. The article claims that looting, often done using bulldozers, is one terrorist group's second largest source of revenue (after oil) and Iraqi intelligence reports that Islamic State made perhaps $36 million just from looting sites around Nabek.
The site of Mari has also been looted. It has had about 1,300 excavation pits dug in the past few months according to satellite images.
One can only hope that the ongoing devestation of the Middle East will end soon. The cost to both people and archaeological sites has already been too steep and, sadly, looks to have no end in sight.
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So long and thanks for all the fish
6 years ago
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