Two rare busts rescued from the "Islamic State" militant group in the ancient city of Palmyra and restored in Italy have been returned to Syria, the country's antiquities director said Wednesday. "The two statues were returned to Syria on Tuesday and added to the 400 artefacts that were rescued from Palmyra," Maamun Abdul Karim told AFP. One of the busts rescued from IS militant group in Palmyra is restored in Rome, in February 2017. Recovered by Syrian troops, the two funeral busts had been badly disfigured with what appeared to be hammer blows. Abdul Karim said the restoration of the busts "is the first real, visible positive step that the international community has taken to protect Syrian heritage".

Source: Egypt Independent March 02, 2017 12:18 UTC