Iraq fears new wave of antiquities smuggling as ISIS controls hundreds of ancient mounds

Iraq daily Journal, 'Iraq fears new wave of antiquities smuggling as ISIS controls hundreds of ancient mounds', June 24, 2014.

The advancing Jihadists of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) have now more than 400 Mesopotamian mounds under their control, particularly in northern Iraq, said a senior Antiquities Department officials. Ali al-Hashemi, the department’s spokesperson, said ISIS had three major Assyrian metropolises within the territory it currently controls including Nineveh and Nimrud. “The Ministry of Tourism and Culture is trying to preserve (Iraq’s) cultural heritage from terrorist operations, particularly in the provinces of Nineveh and Salahudeen,” Hashemi said [...] more than “400 archaeologically significant sites (in the two provinces) are under threat of illegal diggers and smugglers.” He said the ministry feared a repetition of the events that immediately followed the 2003-U.S. invasion of Iraq

"Of course there is no need to fear", soothes an anonymous spokesman for the antiquities trade, "our members would never touch such stuff". (I made the last bit up, but that is, isn't it, the sort of thing they say). We will see.