On trial: the destruction of history during conflict - News from Al Jazeera
"When the US invaded Iraq, there was chaos, looting and the destruction of art and culture. No one had prepared for it at all."
Al-Mahdi led an anti-vice squad which acted for the Islamic court of
Timbuktu, while a member of a Tuareg rebel group allied with Al-Qaeda in
the Islamic Maghreb [Robin van Lonkhuisen/Reuters]