Afghan sleuths prevent smuggling of 169 historical relics

Photo taken on April 5, 2022 shows detainees released from a jail in Kandahar, Afghanistan. (Photo by Sanaullah Seiam/Xinhua/IANS)

The relics, which include metal pieces, historical books, and documents, have been discovered at the Spin Boldak border crossing point between Afghanistan and Pakistan…reports Asian Lite News

Afghan security forces prevented the smuggling of 169 historical artefacts in collaboration with the officials of the information and culture department of Kandahar province, said Khubaib Ghufran, spokesperson for the Ministry of Information and Culture, on Tuesday.

The relics, which include metal pieces, historical books, and documents, have been discovered at the Spin Boldak border crossing point between Afghanistan and Pakistan, said Ghufran, adding that the historical items have been transferred to the information and culture department of Kandahar, and, after record-keeping, will be displayed in the museum, Xinhua news agency reported.

Since taking power in August 2021, the Afghan caretaker government has succeeded in preventing the smuggling of more than 1,500 pieces of cultural and historical relics, the official said.

According to the ministry, more than 60,000 ancient artefacts belonging to different eras have been registered and put on display at the Afghanistan National Museum in Kabul.

Last week, the Security forces discovered a huge weapon cache containing a variety of arms and ammunition, including anti-aircraft guns, in eastern Afghanistan’s Nuristan province.

The weaponry, which includes two anti-aircraft guns, dozens of AK-47 assault rifles, thousands of bullets, and many more military equipment, was recovered from the Kamdish district recently, the statement added without providing more details, reports Xinhua news agency.

Afghan caretaker government has collected thousands of pieces of weapons, including battle tanks, since assuming power in August 2021 following the US-led forces’ withdrawal from Afghanistan. Since then, no one outside the security organs has been allowed to carry arms illegally.

In a separate incident, the Afghanistan police have discovered 900 kg of illegal drugs, including 48 kg heroin, and taken into custody four individuals on the charge of smuggling the contraband in western Afghanistan’s Nimroz province, provincial police spokesman Gul Mohammad Qudrat said on Thursday.

The arrested persons were attempting to take the contraband out of Nimroz province but were identified and arrested by police in Charburjak district on Wednesday, according to the official.

In a similar drive against illicit drugs, police set on fire about 6 tonnes of drugs, including 1.5 kg heroin, 537 kg opium poppy, and a huge quantity of objects used in manufacturing heroin in the southern Helmand province a couple of days ago.

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