Save the Swords

I've just been alerted that the Iraqi government has put on hold its plans to send the swords to the scrap piles of history. But I still wonder why anyone felt the need to tear them down in the first place? It reminds me of the fall of the Soviet Union, when they toppled all of their statues. Then, we reminded them it's their history, whether they like it or not, and lessons are learned from it. Here, no one is reminding them of anything. Instead, soldiers and others are collecting souvenirs as they dismantle the hands (click on this photo to enlarge and notice the hand on the right side). What a shame.