US military damaged ancient Babylon site…

PARIS: Researchers working for the United Nations cultural agency say the US military in Iraq inflicted considerable damage on one of the world’s most important archaeological sites at Babylon.

UNESCO has vowed to make Babylon a World Heritage site to prevent similar vandalism in future wars.

Its ruins, 90 kilometres south of Baghdad, are considered one of the world’s Seven Wonders, and are more than 4000 years old. Soon after the US-led invasion in 2003, the site became military “Camp Alpha”.

The UNESCO report presented yesterday says US troops and contractors dug trenches several hundred metres long through sensitive areas, levelled hilltops and drove heavy vehicles over the fragile paving of once-sacred pathways.
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