Stolen artifacts returned to Afghanistan

Hundreds of ancient artifacts stolen during Afghanistan's civil war in the 1990s have been returned to the Kabul Museum, officials said Sunday. At least 843 artifacts that were stolen or lost during the civil war were welcomed back to the museum with an official ceremony, Khaama Press reported. Many of the items were more than 4,000 years old and had been in the possession of the London Museum, the Press reported. Airport police in London seized the items before handing them over to museum in Afghanistan. One 1,800-year-old artifact was seized in Japan after it was stolen and sold by smugglers, Khaama Press reported.