BAGHDAD, Sept. 19 (UPI) -- More than 1,000 artifacts stolen from Iraqi sites during the last two years have been returned to Iraq, a Foreign Ministry spokesman in Baghdad says.
The unidentified spokesman said the Iraqi embassy in Washington has received the missing historical items thanks in part to the assistance of U.S. customs officials, Azzaman.com reported Friday.
No information was provided regarding how the artifacts were recovered or what suspects were involved in their disappearance, the Web site said.
Massive looting has taken place in Iraq during the presence of the U.S. military in the country.
Among the Iraqi sites targeted by looters during that time period was the national museum in Baghdad. The historical site lost at least 15,000 items to looters, Azzaman.com said.
The Web site said since the recent discovery of hundreds of the missing items took place in the United States, there has been speculation that U.S. soldiers may be behind a portion of the looting.
