Daesh bulldozes Syria, Iraq's heritage

Protecting antiquities should be given the importance it deserves

As Syria and Iraq’s cultural heritage and history is being destroyed piece by piece by Daesh militants. The world has collectively condemned the mindless destruction of revered, centuries-old ancient artifacts, but, sadly, no action has been taken. Now, regional and international leaders are calling for the destruction of antiquities to be labeled a war crime. But would that really matter?

Following the recent smashing of artifacts in Mosul’s main museum and the destruction of archaeological sites in Nimrud and Hatra, Iraqi Tourism and Antiquities Minister Adel Fahad al-Shersab called on coalition “air support” to protect archaeological sites, and in a statement UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that “the deliberate destruction of our common heritage constitutes a war crime.”

Daesh’s assault on irreplaceable cultural treasures echoes the Taliban’s 2001 destruction of another world heritage site, the giant Buddha statues at Bamiyan in Afghanistan. That, too, prompted international condemnation but little action was taken to save the statues from being blown to pieces.

The true extent of the damage done to Syria and Iraq’s priceless archaeological sites, some of which date back to the beginning of urban civilisation, cannot be quantified, but clearly the destruction is widespread.

In Syria alone, experts estimate that 290 sites of historical significance have been damaged or destroyed since the civil war began in 2011. Satellite images of many locations show dozens, even hundreds of crude holes where thieves and looters were digging, or piles of rubble where statues and monuments had been smashed by sledgehammers or bulldozed.

Unfortunately, Ban Ki-moon’s statement would likely mean little on the ground. Daesh — which carries out war crimes against civilians and captured enemy combatants on a daily basis — clearly cares little for what the international community thinks.

Al Shersab’s comments are, in theory, more practical, but also will likely amount to little in the long run. The finite aerial resources of the coalition and their Iraqi allies are focused, for the moment, on Daesh frontline positions and its command and control structure. Until military assets are dedicated to the protection of archaeological sites, any nearby airstrikes will amount to little more than strikes against targets of opportunity.

Al Shersab is right, however, in suggesting that protecting antiquities should become a military objective of the coalition. Aside from the obvious benefit of protecting thousands of years of the world’s history, it is now clear that Daesh is using antiquities to finance its operations. Daesh may be destroying the sites, ostensibly to smash “idolatry” in the name of their warped view of Islam, but the true motive of their focus on antiquities is likely financial.

In February, the ‘Wall Street Journal’ quoted unnamed Western intelligence agents as saying that antiquities are now Daesh’s second most important revenue stream, after oil. Some artifacts can fetch the militant groups millions of dollars per piece. Some American officials have estimated that the black market in antiquities is worth in excess of $100 million.

Coalition aircraft now routinely strike Daesh-held oil refineries in Syria and Iraq in an attempt to cut that source of funding for the militants. The logical next step would be to allocate combat aircraft to prevent — or at the very least mitigate — the group’s ability to exploit the archaeological sites in areas under their control.

The US, so far, has balked at any suggestion that American warplanes should be diverted to protect archaeological sites.

Speaking at a press conference in Baghdad on March 9, General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the US didn’t have “enough partners on the ground” to target militants operating near archaeological zones, and noted that coalition forces had other “priorities” to deal with, contending that protecting heritage sites would represent “a priorities shift.”

This view, however, is short sighted. The exact locations of Syria and Iraq’s archaeological sites are well known. They have, after all, been there for thousands of years. In Iraq’s case, the sites are especially well known to the US military, which had thousands of troops operating from bases within close proximity to many of Iraq’s best known archaeological zones, particularly in Babil Province.

Furthermore, the preservation of Iraq’s history — which far predates the Iraqi state — may well be an important factor binding the various ethnic and religious factions together in a coherent state in the future.
The Sumerian “winged bull” for example, has long been a symbol that brought pride to Iraqis, whether they be Sunnis from Anbar, Shias from Basra, or Kurds from Irbil.

Bernd Debusmann Jr. is a senior reporter at Khaleej Times