‘Unprecedented’ restitution: US returns antiquities to Iraq

The 17,000 items date back 4,000 years and will be flown back to Iraq with Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

The United States will return to Iraq some 17,000 archaeological treasures dating back 4,000 years and looted in recent decades in an “unprecedented” restitution, the culture minister in Baghdad has said. Wednesday’s announcement came days after Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi met with US President Joe Biden in Washington, DC. Al-Kadhimi was set to take back the artefacts from ancient Mesopotamia on his aircraft when he returns to the country on Thursday, Iraqi Culture Minister Hassan Nazim said.