A few friends of mine worked in the Middle East, particularly Iraq and Afghanistan.

At the moment it’s a complete nightmare with COVID and troop withdrawals. A few friends had to rush to get out of the region and are struggling to get back in.

They’re particularly worried about their friends who are in the area and what might happen in the future which looks particularly dire.

There’s no estimation of loss but there’s sure to be a huge uptick in looting, illegal antiquities trading, and destruction of cultural heritage.