The government has reduced allocations earmarked for the Antiquities Department and currently hundreds of significant sites are without proper protection, said Ali Kadhem.

Kadhem is a senior antiquities official in southern Iraq where most valuable Mesopotamian treasures are situated.

He is currently in charge of antiquities in the southern Province of Nasiriya, the birth place of the Sumerian civilization, which flourished there some 5,000 years ago.

The government has earmarked 300 million Iraqi dinars (approx. 2.5 million dollars) for the protection of ancient sites across the country.

Kadhem says the money is insufficient since there are more than 10,000 archaeologically significant sites in Iraq...