The sterile term "collateral damage" justifiably brings to mind the human tragedy of war. But the devastating and wanton damage inflicted on the ancient city of Babylon by US-led military forces gives another meaning to the term. In this case, we are witnessing violence against one of the world's greatest cultural treasures.   Babylon's destruction, http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1391042,00.html - according to The Guardian , "must rank as one of the most reckless acts of cultural vandalism in recent memory."  When Camp Babylon was established by US-led international forces in April 2003,  leading archeologists and international experts on ancient civilizations warned of potential peril and damage. It was "tantamount to establishing a military camp around the Great Pyramid in Egypt or around Stonehenge in Britain,"  according to a damning report issued in January by the British Museum.

The report, drafted by Dr. John Curtis--one of the world's leading archeologists--documents that the military base, built and overseen by Kellog, Brown and Root, a subsidiary of Halliburton,  jeopardized what is often referred to as the "mother of all archeological sites." Helicopter landing places and parking lots for heavy vehicles caused substantial damage to the http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Ishtar_Gate.html - Ishtar Gate , one of the most famous monuments from antiquity. US military vehicles crushed  2,600 year old brick pavement, archeological fragments were scattered across the site, trenches were driven into ancient deposits and military earth-moving projects contaminated the site for future generations of scientists. As several eminent archeologists have pointed out, while the looting of the Iraqi Museum in the first days of the war was horrifying, the destruction of ancient sites has even more dire consequences for those trying to piece together the history of civilization.   Making matters worse, the base has created a tempting target for insurgent attacks in recent months.  As Yaseen Madhloom al-Rubai http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/irq/irq_117_4_eng.txt - reports in the valuable Iraq Crisis Report (No. 117), "It was one of the seven wonders of the world, but ancient Babylon attracts more insurgents than tourists these days."

"Turning Babylon into a military site was a fatal mistake," the Iraqi culture Minister told Iraq Crisis Report. "It has witnessed much destruction and many terrorist attacks since it was occupied by Coalition Forces. We cannot determine the scale of destruction now. As a first step, we have completely closed the sites, before calling in international experts to evaluate the damage done to the [ancient] city and the compensation the ministry should ask Coalition forces to pay. We will run a campaign to save the city."

That campaign is finding allies among a growing network of archeologists outraged by the http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4177577.stm - unnecessary destruction of an irreplaceable site. John Curtis, author of the British Museum's Report, has called for an international investigation by archeologists chosen by the Iraqis to survey and record all the damage done.

Iraq is a war zone, and as such, certainly preservation of life should be the primary concern.

I think you are right. If I lived in the ME I'd do whatever I could to suppress terrorists and keep from making juicy targets for that nut Bush to attack and walk all over with his muddy boots.

F

abuayisha wrote: Iraq is a war zone, and as such, certainly preservation of life should be the primary concern.

I don't remember the US declaring war against either Afghanistan or Iraq - did you?

War is between two competing nations, and therefore, the US invasion of those countries cannot be termed anything else except - BABARISM. 

Best not to pay any heed to such diversions by profesional mass posters.

Let's just get our act together and prepare for Civil Defense for the next Amreekan barbarity in Mid East or elsewhere in the Islamic world.

Whisper wrote: Best not to pay any heed to such diversions by profesional mass posters. Let's just get our act together and prepare for Civil Defense for the next Amreekan barbarity in Mid East or elsewhere in the Islamic world.

Actually some Muslims are doing that, but they are hunted down by the puppet-regimes of Muslim nation-states in the name of 'war against terrorism' - while flaring-up 'sectarianism' to divert Muslim masses' attention from their real enemies - secularists and Zionists.

War is between two competing nations, and therefore, the US invasion of those countries cannot be termed anything else except - BABARISM. 

Shshshs! Please don't spill the beans. US can't afford anything else. Any war will blow the lid off this Myth of American Military Might. This can be kept alive only by attacking the weak and the starving. We all know the Amreekan is really brave at 50,000 feet.

Yaar something has to be shown for all that defense spending. Just keep quiet and mourn for the poor Amreekan tax payers.

Whisper wrote: ....Shshshs! Please don't spill the beans. US can't afford anything else. Any war will blow the lid off this Myth of American Military Might. This can be kept alive only by attacking the weak and the starving. We all know the Amreekan is really brave at 50,000 feet.

That reminds me of the US TV talkshow moderator, who, when told that Taliban are cowards - replied: It's the Americans who are coward, because they shoot missiles from a safe distance of 3000 km. However, for making that 'political incorrect' statement, he was fired by ABC within next two hours!

Rehmat wrote: Whisper wrote: ....Shshshs! Please don't spill the beans. US can't afford anything else. Any war will blow the lid off this Myth of American Military Might. This can be kept alive only by attacking the weak and the starving. We all know the Amreekan is really brave at 50,000 feet. That reminds me of the US TV talkshow moderator, who, when told that Taliban are cowards - replied: It's the Americans who are coward, because they shoot missiles from a safe distance of 3000 km. However, for making that 'political incorrect' statement, he was fired by ABC within next two hours!

Typical really. The US only _thinks_ it's a democratic country with freedom of speech.  They are the world's biggest joke in so many ways...

Kim...