Jews Stealing Babylon Relics: Iraqi Paper

Quoting what it described as "reliable sources", the paper asserted that dozens of large trucks have been seen carrying away relics from Babylon, some 85 kilometers to the southwest of Baghdad.

It added that the artifacts date back to the time of King Nebuchadnezzar, who sent his armies to occupy Palestine thousands of years ago and took thousands of Jews as prisoners, in what became known as the Babylonian Captivity.

"Those who are carrying out the plundering operation are our ‘Jewish guests’, the new guests of the (U.S.-British) occupation," according to the paper.

Nebuchadnezzar, reportedly born about 630 B.C. and died around 562 B.C. at age 68, was the king of the Chaldean (also known as the Neo-Babylonian) Empire.

During Nebuchadnezzar’s time, Babylon was the largest city of the world, estimated to have covered over 2,500 acres (10,000 hectares), with the Euphrates River flowing through it.

Babylon was revamped by ousted President Saddam Hussein, who transformed it into a modern tourist haven, a step that forced UNESCO to remove it from its list of ancient archaeological sites.

Babylon is home for the "Hanging Gardens," which is one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

According to Al-Mustaqilla, Jews also encouraged mobs to ransack and steal the antiques of Biblical Prophet Ozeir, whose grave is situated at the town named after him, some 420 kilometers to the southeast of Baghdad, said the paper.

Dozens of Jewish families of Iraqi origin, who immigrated to Israel in the late 1940s and early 1950s, have reportedly returned to Iraq after its occupation and started buying villas in Baghdad at prices higher than its market value.