TRIPOLI, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Embassy to Libya on Tuesday said that U.S. authorities had returned a historic artifact to Libya.
"U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) International Operation Division Chief Leo Lin returned a sixth century marble statue known as the 'Head of a Veiled Woman,' during a repatriation ceremony at the Libyan Embassy on Thursday," the U.S. Embassy to Libya said in a statement.
"The return of the statue was the culmination of an 11-year investigation led by HIS New York's Cultural Property, Arts and Antiquities Unit, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Costumes and Border Protection," the statement said.
Last year, the United States and Libya signed a five-year bilateral agreement aiming at combating the smuggling and trafficking of Libyan artifacts.
The Libyan archaeological cities of Sousse, Shahhat, Sabratha, Sirte, Bani Walid, Nafusa Mounain, Tocra and Tolmeita have suffered the highest amount of artifacts robberies over the past few years.
The Libyan historic archaeological sites face multiple threats, mainly thefts and armed conflicts near historic sites.
