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Looters digging at the site of ancient Bactria, postulated to be the city of Alexander the Great. Balkh, Afghanistan. 13 October 2002. ..Objects from Bactria were in high demand. Their looting and destruction during the Taliban's 2001 campaign to eradicate any human or animal likenesses are all the more painful since they date from the Kushan Period, when rulers and society were very tolerant and religiously inclusive...The widespread modern-day looting of Afghanistan's archaeological treasures—from the Stone Age and Bronze Age through Zoroastrianism to Buddhism and Early Islam—started with the civil war. Warlords complicit in the crime still hold positions of power...In recent years thousand of objects have been returned to the country as customs agents, Interpol and UNESCO have supported governments around the world in their efforts to put a stop to the trade in archaeological artefacts.. (KEYSTONE/VII Photo/Daniel Schwartz)