| Syrian customs officials on Wednesday seized 40 artifacts stolen from the National Museum in Iraq as they were being smuggled across the border into the country, Syria's official news agency said. The report quoted the chief of the customs department, Nabil al-Sayyouri, as saying the pieces were seized at al-Tanaf crossing on the Syrian-Iraqi border. They were hidden in a bag in an Iraqi crossing into Syria. The artifacts include different-sized glassware and clay tools. Al-Sayyouri said the seized pieces were "rare and would be handed back to Iraq." |