BAGHDAD MUSEUM LOOTED (from Boston.com).

Lehigh University Archeology Professor Calls Looting of Ancient Artifacts a 'Tragedy of Great Proportions'
By Ascribe, 4/11/2003 14:27

BETHLEHEM, Pa., April 11 (AScribe Newswire) -- Reports coming out of Baghdad (and just confirmed by ABC News) indicate that mobs have looted Iraq's largest acheological museum amid a breakdown in civil authority following the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime.

Lotters helped themselves to treasures in the National Museum of Iraq, which housed the remains of ancient civilizations, one of the richest archeological heritages in the world.

''It's a tragedy, a disgrace,'' says David B. Small, professor of sociology and anthropology at Lehigh University and an expert in ancient civilizations. ''The world's heritage is being destroyed, and the public information will quite possibly be lost to us forever.''

Small predicts that some of these artifacts will end up in the hands of private collectors, which means that ''priceless, invaluable artifacts will be lost to the public. It is a tragedy of great proportions.''

If true, this is a terrible tragedy. But so far I can't find any confirmation on the ABC News web page.