Iraq eager to get back antiquities smuggled to US
Iraq is diligently working to recover relics from the United States that were looted from Iraqi archaeological sites.
![MIDEAST-CRISIS/IRAQ-ANTIQUITIES Recovered artifacts are seen at the National Museum of Iraq in Baghdad July 15, 2015. The U.S. handed back to Iraq on Wednesday antiquities it said it had seized in a raid on Islamic State fighters in Syria, saying the haul was proof the militants were funding their war by smuggling ancient treasures. The Iraqi relics were captured by U.S. special forces in an operation in May against an Islamic State commander known as Abu Sayyaf. They included ancient cylindrical stamps, pottery, metallic bracelets and ot](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2017/08/RTX1KCXX.jpg/RTX1KCXX.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=ohiUulqL)
BAGHDAD — Iraq is working to recover the thousands of ancient artifacts illegally imported into the United States by Oklahoma City-based arts-and-crafts retailer Hobby Lobby.
“Iraqi and US officials are in constant contact, and the smuggled artifacts are in safe hands now with the US Homeland Security and the US judiciary, which will issue a final verdict on the case," Maysoon al-Damluji, a member of the Iraqi parliament's Committee of Culture and Information, told Al-Monitor. "Meanwhile, the Iraqi Embassy is communicating with the US State Department to retrieve the artifacts."