...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...(HTS, formerly al-Nusra
...formally Jabhat an-Nusrah li-Ahli al-Sham (Support Front for the People of the Levant), also known as al-Qaeda in the Levant. They aim to establish a pan-Arab caliphate. Not the same one as the Islamic State, though .. ...
Front), supervised by security apparatus, continued an excavation operation in an archaeological site in the west of Idlib Governorate, northwest Syria, using heavy machinery.
This is the third excavation operation carried out in the countryside of Idlib.
A local source, from the village of Kabta, west of Idlib, said a drilling and excavation workshop, affiliated with the HTS, started excavating an archaeological site south of the village, using heavy machinery two days ago.
This is not the first time, as the board had previously carried out archaeological excavations in Sheikh Youssef hill, west of Idlib, about three months ago, according to the source.
At that time, they extracted mosaic panels, some archaeological models, and gold pieces, preventing residents from approaching the site until completion. An informed source of Economics Directorate of the HTS’ Salvation Government said that the archaeological exploration were carried by specialized teams, taking into account the importance of antiques and artifacts
He stressed that the archaeological exploration was not for of trade.
The source added that the exploration operations aimed at reviving the heritage of the area to present it in the near future within exhibitions or a special museum in the area.
The source indicated that there are thefts and infringements by some influential people in the military authority, by excavating archaeological sites without returning to Syrian government, selling them to active black market traders in
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire...
, greedy for money, but this isn’t approved in government.
The Directorate of Economy through the "Okaz Committee", can allow some civilian researchers; Excavating archaeological sites, but after obtaining approval from the competent authorities and supervision of the project, the source added