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Congress deals blow to IS looting in Syria

The House passed legislation that would make it illegal to import stolen artifacts.
Tourists walk in the historical city of Palmyra, September 30, 2010. Islamic State fighters in Syria have entered the ancient ruins of Palmyra after taking complete control of the central city, but there are no reports so far of any destruction of antiquities, a group monitoring the war said on May 21, 2015. Picture taken September 30, 2010. REUTERS/Nour Fourat - RTX1E3U1

House lawmakers passed legislation June 1 that would make it illegal to sell looted artifacts from Syria, dealing a blow to the Islamic State’s finances and agenda.

The unanimous vote comes amid a worldwide effort to draw attention to the extremist group’s attempt to erase any trace of other faiths. Officials are also worried that the looting, aided by purchases from unscrupulous buyers in the United States and elsewhere, is contributing tens of millions of dollars to Islamic State (IS) coffers.

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