AMMAN, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Two months after the major combat concluded in Iraq, the country's vast array of archaeological sites continued to endure looting, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was quoted by the Jordan Times as complaining on Monday.

　　According to UNESCO Assistant Director General Munir Bouchenaki, antiquity experts are facing problems in protecting over 10,000 registered culture sites in Iraq due to lack of efforts from coalition forces.

　　Some of the historical sites have been repeatedly plagued by civilian opportunists, who randomly dig about searching for treasures.

　　The lack of protection from coalition forces has created additional difficulties for experts to salvage the country's national identity, Bouchenaki noted.

　　He hoped the provisional authority in Iraq would follow through on a promise to post protective forces at the 40 main sites.

　　Meanwhile, the damage to Iraq's cultural heritage had extended into the southern city of Basra, Bouchenaki noted, adding that the archaeological museum in the city "no longer exists."

　　UN experts were in Iraq on a second professional mission, aiming to help establish a concrete plan of action for cultural restoration. End