Coalition troops damage Babylon

Recently, a British Museum official visiting Iraq reported that coalition troops, using the ancient city of Babylon as a base for many months, seriously damaged the archeological site. Military vehicles crushed a 2,600-year-old brick pavement, and broken pieces with the stamp of King Nebuchadnezzar II were found scattered throughout the vicinity. Elsewhere, the dragons on the foundation of the 6th-century BC Ishtar Gate, located in an Iraqi-run historical park on the camp's perimeter, now bear cracks and gaps from unsuccessful attempts by looters to remove the decorative bricks. John Curtis, keeper of the British Museum's Near East department, says that, in addition, large amounts of sand containing archeological fragments were removed from the site in order to fill military sandbags. U.S. forces had transferred command of the area to Polish troops in September 2003. All military presence was removed on Jan. 15, 2005.

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