Camp Victory, Iraq-? There has been a lot of collateral damage in the efforts of the Operation Iraqi Freedom and its efforts to help the nation of Iraq. Many in the historical and academic world consider the region of the world that Iraq occupies to be the ?cradle of civilization,? and the coalition has been working to try and preserve parts of this rich and irreplaceable history.
Despite a lot of armed conflict, many of the wonders of the region are actively being preserved, and efforts to continue to protect them are being mounted. The great cities of the ancient world including the Tower of Babel, the Ishtar Gate, and the famous Babylon Hanging gardens are some of the examples of areas that have up to now been largely ignored.
While there are different museums and areas of national treasure that are locked and closed, the forces of the coalition are working closely with members of the Iraqi Government to identify and work to preserve different locations that are at risk.
The arrival of the coalition forces in 2003 helped stop some of the looting that was taking place, and while there were areas of priceless artifacts that were taken by criminals, there is an active effort to try and regain and recover as many of the stolen artifacts as possible.
The members of the US Coalition and coalition partner nations remain committed to assisting the nation of Iraq to try and protect, preserve and reclaim areas of its national and international history, and heritage.