BAGHDAD,
October 30 (IslamOnline.net) - Archaeological antiquities dating back
to the period of what is historically known as "Babylonian
Captivity" or "Babylonian Exile" are currently facing a
systematic plundering by Jews, said the Iraqi Al-Mustaqilla
(Independent) newspaper Thursday, October 30.
Quoting
what it described as "reliable sources", the paper asserted
that dozens of large trucks have been seen carrying away relics from
Babylon, some 85 kilometers to the southwest of Baghdad.
It
added that the artifacts date back to the time of King Nebuchadnezzar,
who sent his armies to occupy Palestine thousands of years ago and
took thousands of Jews as prisoners, in what became known as the
Babylonian Captivity.
"Those
who are carrying out the plundering operation are our 'Jewish guests',
the new guests of the (U.S.-British) occupation," according to
the paper.
Nebuchadnezzar,
reportedly born about 630 B.C. and died around 562 B.C. at age 68, was
the king of the Chaldean (also known as the Neo-Babylonian) Empire.
During
Nebuchadnezzar's time, Babylon was the largest city of the world,
estimated to have covered over 2,500 acres (10,000 hectares), with the
Euphrates River flowing through it.
Babylon
was revamped by ousted President Saddam Hussein, who transformed it
into a modern tourist haven, a step that forced UNESCO to remove it
from its list of ancient archaeological sites.
Babylon
is home for the "Hanging Gardens," which is one of the Seven
Wonders of the World.
According
to Al-Mustaqilla, Jews also encouraged mobs to ransack and
steal the antiques of Biblical Prophet Ozeir, whose grave is situated
at the town named after him, some 420 kilometers to the southeast of
Baghdad, said the paper.
Dozens
of Jewish families of Iraqi origin, who immigrated to Israel in the
late 1940s and early 1950s, have reportedly returned to Iraq after its
occupation and started buying villas in Baghdad at prices higher than
its market value.
U.S.
Watching
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U.S. soldiers were accused of stealing some of Iraq's priceless relics
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Al-Mustaqilla
charged that Babylonian relics theft is being carried out under the
watchful eyes of the American occupation forces, based at the town of
Hilla, some 15 kilometers to the west of Babylon.
Thousands
of famous archaeological Mesopotamian finds and relics, dating back to
ancient Iraq, were stolen or ransacked from Iraqi museums few days
after the fall of Baghdad on April 9.
Among
the stolen pieces was the famous Babylonian wall painting, weighing
several tons and stretching to 10 meters.
Several
of the stolen artifacts were restored by the occupation forces and the
provisional Iraqi authorities, but thousands others were smuggled
abroad.
