Iraq reopens national museum in response to heritage destruction by IS

Iraq on Saturday reopened its national museum, apparently in response to the mass destruction of ancient artifacts by Islamic State (IS) group in the northern city of Mosul.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi vowed to hunt down those who destroy and smuggle the ancient artifacts in the reopening ceremony held in the museum, which is located in central Baghdad, capital of the country.

"There is report that IS destroyed some of the antiquities and is smuggling others. And unfortunately, there is assistance from some traitors," Abadi said at a press conference on the sidelines of the ceremony.

"We will preserve the human heritage and will go after those who are trying to destroy it," Abadi stressed.

"This is a serious call to the Security Council of the United Nations, all peace-loving nations and all those who defend human civilization and Islam in the land of Iraq to go after all of them (IS militants and collaborators)," Abadi added.

For his part, the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Adel Shirshab told the reporters that "the Prime Minister wanted the opening of the National Museum to occur today in order to be a response to those obscurantist attacks."

"Tomorrow, we will receive the visitors from all the citizens," Shirshab confirmed.

Late on Friday night, Abadi office issued a statement condemning the mass destruction of ancient artifacts in Mosul, saying "the destruction of Mosul museum by IS is a barbarian and coward act that will not pass without punishment, which is another evidence of the degenerate mentality of this terrorist gang."

Also on Friday, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) issued a press release denouncing the "deliberate attack against Iraq's millennial history and culture and as an inflammatory incitement to violence and hatred."

In a video released late on Thursday, a group of IS militants armed with sledgehammers and jackhammer smashed and defaced "large statues from the UNESCO world Heritage site of Hatra", and "unique artifacts from the archeological sites of the governorate of Nineveh," UNESCO said.

In the chaos following the fall of Baghdad on April 9, 2003, the Iraqi national museum was ransacked by looters. An estimated 15,000 priceless antiquities were lost and only about haft of them have been recovered so far.

The reopening of the museum, which houses some of the world's most precious artifacts of ancient Mesopotamia, was repeatedly delayed due to slow renovations amid persistent violence in the country.

Chaos and fragile security during the post-invasion years left many historic sites in the hands of looters who carried out random excavations and stole tens of thousands of antiquities, usually causing irreversible damage.

At least 32,000 items were estimated to have been looted from 12,000 recognized archeological sites across Iraq since 2003. Yet for the potentially more than 100,000 sites which are undiscovered, it is impossible to reckon the actual number of stolen artifacts.

The looting also occurred in museums, libraries and archaeological sites in other provinces across the country.

The extremist IS militants destroyed many old temples, shrines, churches and precious manuscripts in the cities of Mosul and many other areas.

The latest destruction in Mosul is seen as the worst disaster that hit Iraq's treasures since the National Museum in Baghdad was looted in 2003. Endit