another blunder

Iraq is one vast archaeological site, resting on the remains of some of the earliest human civilizations, says archaeologist Elizabeth Stone of Stony Brook University in New York. Empire-ruling cities such as Ur, Nineveh and Babylon lie beneath its soil.

The museum holds the fruits of a century of archaeological investigation into the uniquely preserved ancient cultures, captured in cuneiform tablets and seals, along with statuary, pottery and city walls, Stone says.

Exploring these civilizations only had scratched the surface when the war opened the door to thieves at the museum and at archaeological sites across the country. "Frankly, those who have argued that U.S. forces should have done more to protect the museum present a compelling argument

Archaeologists agree it will take decades to recover all the stolen treasures, and some of them may never be seen again

In World War II, by contrast, the U.S. Military's Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives section worked with art historians to preserve cultural treasures.

Another blunder by the "blunderer-in-chief".