Archaeological team joins search for missing soldiers near Iraq-Iran border
Shafaq News/ A team of Iraqi archaeologists from Diyala's Antiquities and Heritage Inspectorate has joined the search for missing soldiers from the Iran-Iraq War in the Governorate, an official statement said on Thursday.
The team, led by Diyala Antiquities and Heritage Inspector Tariq Yousif Habib, is working with a joint committee with the Iranian side under a memorandum of understanding between the Republic of Iraq and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
"The team has visited the search sites and coordinated with other teams and committees working there to identify archaeological sites in the area and to ensure their protection during excavation and search operations," it said.
The Iran-Iraq War began on September 22, 1980, when Iraqi forces under the rule of then-President Saddam Hussein invaded Iran. The conflict, which was economically devastating and left at least half a million people dead, ended in a stalemate in August 1988.
Since the 2003 fall of Saddam Hussein's regime and the restoration of bilateral relations between Iraq and Iran, the two sides have exchanged the remains of dozens of soldiers who were found on the battlefields of the eight-year war on several occasions.
