Investigators for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency tracked down the two stolen coins in the United States a few months ago, after they had surfaced earlier in Pakistan.
The Indo-Greek coins, dating to between 171 and 160 B.C. — soon after the time of Alexander the Great – had originally been discovered by a 1971 French-led archeological expedition near the Oxus River in northeastern Afghanistan.
Handing the coins over to Karzai after a brief signing ceremony, Michael Garcia, Homeland Security’s assistant secretary for immigration and customs enforcement, said the effort to help Afghans to recover their rich cultural heritage reflected “that great spirit of respect and cooperation that exists between our two countries.â€