Afghanistan being 'systematically looted' warns museum organization
Last Updated: Saturday, February 3, 2007 | 11:42 AM ET
CBC Arts
Precious archeological objects in Afghanistan continue to flow out of the war-torn country and could be financing the region's warlords and insurgents, according to a new report from the International Council of Museums.
The nonprofit agency, with 21,000 members from museums around the world, issued a warning on Friday with a "red list" of antiquities for collectors, dealers and museums to watch out for.
"Ancient sites and monuments, ranging from the Old Stone Age to the 20th century, are being attacked and systematically looted," said the organization, based in Paris.
'Afghanistan is now at serious risk from organized destruction and plundering'—John Zvereff of the International Council of Museums
The ICOM says looted artifacts have turned up in auction houses and antique shops in Tokyo, London and New York.
"Afghanistan is now at serious risk from organized destruction and plundering," said ICOM Secretary General John Zvereff.
Statues and pottery from the third millennium BC and Islamic panels from the 13th century are on the "red list."
Lucas Verhaegen, a Belgian police investigator in illegal trafficking of goods, says profits from the sale of looted pieces are being funnelled to insurgents.
"Some of the trade is used to finance armaments and militia," said Verhaegen, who added the trade in stolen antiquities from Afghanistan has become sophisticated.
Objects are smuggled over the mountainous Khyber Pass between Afghanistan and Pakistan, through to Lebanon and on to Brussels or Amsterdam, where they are then taken to Switzerland or the U.S.
"The more transit points you have, the more difficult it is to retrace the origins."
55,000 art objects still missing
Afghanistan's government officials say they do not have the resources to stem the flow.
"We see worsening vandalism," confessed Humayum Tandar, Afghan ambassador to Belgium.
A trove of archeological treasures, Afghanistan has always been a target for smugglers. Some 55,000 art objects stolen during the 1980s remain missing.
During the rule of the Taliban, many objects were destroyed or just disregarded because of their association with idolatry. The militant Islamic group blew up 1,600-year-old Buddha statues in March 2001.
Six months later, a U.S.-led coalition drove the Taliban out and has since established a shaky peace. But the presence of Canadian, German and Dutch military personnel has done little to stop the smuggling.
"Never has a country been looted so systematically as Afghanistan," notes Afghan archeologist Zemaryalai Tarzi. "It was before the Taliban, it was during the Taliban, it was after. And it continues."
