Ancient Statues Taken from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient sculptures and cultural objects have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, authorities report.
The robbery was discovered on the start of the week, when employees apparently found that a doorway had been damaged from the interior.
The six taken statues were crafted from marble and traced back to the Roman period, an authority informed the Associated Press.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to identify the "events surrounding the disappearance of a collection of artifacts", and that actions had been enacted to enhance protection and surveillance.
The director of national security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as saying that law enforcement were probing the robbery, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".
He continued that guards at the institution and other persons were being questioned.
The Damascus Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, houses the primary historical artifacts in Syria.
It includes clay cuneiform tablets originating to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where proof of the oldest known complete alphabet was discovered; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, one of the most important ancient sites of the classical era; and a third century religious building that was built at an ancient location.
The facility was forced to close in 2012, a year after the outbreak of the internal strife. Most of the collection was evacuated and preserved at secret locations to ensure their safety.
It began limited operations in recent years and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, one month after rebel forces removed Syria's former leader.
Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were harmed or partly ruined during the civil war.
The IS organization blew up multiple temples and other structures at the ancient city, claiming that they were idolatrous. International authorities condemned the demolition as a war crime.
Many historical objects were also destroyed or stolen from historical locations and museums.