KABUL, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Afghan security forces have thwarted attempts to smuggle artifacts worth an estimated 27 million U.S. dollars in central Afghanistan's Bamyan province, the defense ministry said Saturday.
Three smugglers were also apprehended in the operation, according to a statement by the ministry.
Personnel of the national army in coordination with the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) seized the three people and discovered the relics, the statement said.
The artifacts include two sculptures, two mummified bodies, five boxes, a golden crown, two swords, and a 17-page book written with gold, it said, adding all the relics were handed over to the national museum.
The three arrested people were transferred to concerned bodies for further investigation, the statement added.
Afghanistan's central Bamyan province boasts historical monuments and cultural relics from ancient Buddhist civilization. ■
