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.