Islamic State did not destroy things attached to people, it killed people attached to things

You can read either story. The relevant sections of the texts are both from the Associated Press. But the titles? In one newspaper, “Islamic State ‘blows up three captives tied to Roman columns’ in Palmyra”. In another, “ISIS blows up more Palmyra antiquities, with civilians attached“.

A gang in Germany robbed assets from churches and schools to fund jihad in Syria

Yet another reason for quietness on the blog is that my computer is broken, but I just saw this story via Money Jihad and wanted to highlight it, not because it is evidence of significant trafficking of antiquities to finance the civil war in Syria, but because it is evidence of insignificant trafficking. As with the evidence of looting-to-order, it is important to remember that conflict antiquities trafficking involves petty theft as well as grand larceny, burglaries by fundraisers outside as well as plunder by combatants in the war zone.