Historic cultural artifacts are returning to Afghanistan. U.S. officials seized 33 Afghan pieces worth $1.8 million from a New York art collector. Officials say the man stole artifacts from countries all over the world. Roya Rahmani is Afghanistan’s ambassador to the U.S. She says the recovery of the material is extremely important to the country’s culture. “Each one of these pieces are priceless depictions of our history,” she said. The Manhattan District Attorney along with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security recovered the artifacts as a part of an investigation into the illegal sale of antiquities. Rahmani formally took back the pieces from the U.S. on April 12. The items include masks and sculptures, some from the second and third centuries. They were on display for a short period of time at the Afghan embassy in Washington, D.C. They will be placed in the Afghanistan National Museum in Kabul. The National Museum of Kabul is the place where members of the Taliban destroyed artifacts in 2001. The group believes human images are offensive. The Taliban is now out of power, but it controls much of the country outside of Kabul. Peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government have slowed down, and U.S. and NATO troops are expected to leave the country after 20 years of war.
Title: Afghan Relics Returning Home
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5047/A.wav' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='Afghan Relics Returning Home' data-article-id='5578'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='5729'>Historic cultural artifacts are returning to Afghanistan.</span> <span data-start-time='5729' data-end-time='19958'>U.S. officials seized 33 Afghan pieces worth $1.8 million from a New York art collector. </span> <span data-start-time='19958' data-end-time='28792'>Officials say the man stole artifacts from countries all over the world.</span> <span data-start-time='28792' data-end-time='36063'>Roya Rahmani is Afghanistan’s ambassador to the U.S. </span> <span data-start-time='36063' data-end-time='44813'>She says the recovery of the material is extremely important to the country’s culture.</span> <span data-start-time='44813' data-end-time='53146'>“Each one of these pieces are priceless depictions of our history,” she said.</span> <span data-start-time='53146' data-end-time='71000'>The Manhattan District Attorney along with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security recovered the artifacts as a part of an investigation into the illegal sale of antiquities. </span> <span data-start-time='71000' data-end-time='78833'>Rahmani formally took back the pieces from the U.S. on April 12.</span> <span data-start-time='78833' data-end-time='88896'>The items include masks and sculptures, some from the second and third centuries. </span> <span data-start-time='88896' data-end-time='98375'>They were on display for a short period of time at the Afghan embassy in Washington, D.C. </span> <span data-start-time='98375' data-end-time='104917'>They will be placed in the Afghanistan National Museum in Kabul.</span> <span data-start-time='104917' data-end-time='116125'>The National Museum of Kabul is the place where members of the Taliban destroyed artifacts in 2001. </span> <span data-start-time='116125' data-end-time='121979'>The group believes human images are offensive.</span> <span data-start-time='121979' data-end-time='130729'>The Taliban is now out of power, but it controls much of the country outside of Kabul.</span> <span data-start-time='130729' data-end-time='145938'>Peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government have slowed down, and U.S. and NATO troops are expected to leave the country after 20 years of war.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5047/A.jpeg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=17302 data-hint-location='0' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5047/what_is_an_artifact.wav'>What is an artifact?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='A simple object made by people in the past'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5047/a_simple_object_made_by_people_in_the_past.wav'><span>A simple object made by people in the past</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5047/a_large_sheet_of_canvas_made_specifically_for_painting.wav'><span>A large sheet of canvas made specifically for painting</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5047/a_type_of_book_that_contains_facts_about_art.wav'><span>A type of book that contains facts about art</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5047/a_region_synonymous_with_the_north_pole.wav'><span>A region synonymous with the North Pole</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=17303 data-hint-location='78833' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5047/what_type_of_artifacts_we_recovered.wav'>What type of artifacts we recovered?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='Masks and sculptures'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5047/masks_and_sculptures.wav'><span>Masks and sculptures</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5047/afghan_throwing_knives.wav'><span>Afghan throwing knives</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5047/a_deck_of_playing_cards.wav'><span>A deck of playing cards</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5047/none_of_the_above.wav'><span>None of the above</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=17304 data-hint-location='36063' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5047/she_says_the_recovery_of_the_material_is_extremely_important_to_the_countrys__blank_.wav'>She says the recovery of the material is extremely important to the countrys <span class='blank'>culture</span>.</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='culture'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5047/culture.wav'><span>culture</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5047/economy.wav'><span>economy</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5047/holidays.wav'><span>holidays</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5047/sport_leagues.wav'><span>sport leagues</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button 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