Turkish Police Awaiting FBI List of Stolen Iraqi Artifacts

The Office for Combating Smuggling and Organized Crime (KOM) is presently waiting for information from the FBI, which last week sent some of its agents to Iraq to assist in locating historic artifacts that had disappeared. In addition, international police organization Interpol will also conduct a search in Iraq. Interpol officials scheduled to visit Turkey will also brief the police about the missing artifacts. Many stolen artifacts were smuggled into Turkey at the end of the Gulf War in 1991.

After invading Kuwait in 1991, Iraqi soldiers looted the country and took back to Iraq many paintings by Pablo Picasso stolen from Kuwaiti palaces and museums. These Picassos were later smuggled into Turkey, and many were recovered in various provinces throughout the country. KOM officials state, however, that nearly all the Picasso paintings seized in Turkey were fake.

Erkan Acar / Istanbul / TURKEY