“Millennia ago, Iraq was the cradle of civilization, hence the concern about its cultural and archaeological sites. Is the U.S. taking sufficient care to spare Iraq’s treasures? The laws of warfare make clear that while combatants may not target such sites, if they are used for military purposes they lose their protection.” Unfortunately, say US commanders, the Iraqis have are putting military targets next to important archaeological sites. Recently Iraq “placed military equipment and communications equipment next to the 2,000-year-old brick arch of Ctesiphon on the banks of the Tigris River, the world’s largest surviving arch from ancient times and the widest single-span arch in the world.”