The Case of Iraq
On 10 April, U.S. military vehicles and tanks entered the building. This development coincided with the collapse of the Saddam regime. The first thing the U.S. soldiers did was to destroy Saddam's statue that stood in the front of the NLA main building. When departing, U.S. soldiers left the building without any protection whatsoever. Minutes later, several parts of the NLA building were engulfed in flames. Some people embarked on looting equipments and anything of value. Two days later, the same scenario was repeated.
As a direct result of the two fires and lootings, the National Archive lost about 60 percent of its archival materials. In one word, it was a national disaster on a large scale. These losses cannot be compensated. They formed modern Iraq's historical memory. The National Library lost about 25 percent of its publications, including rare books and newspapers. NLA lost almost all of its collections of historical photographs and maps.
International Report
The Tale of Iraq's 'Cemetery of Books'
by SAAD ESKANDER
https://www.infotoday.com/it/dec04/eskander.shtml
