Iraq's Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities is continuing efforts to recover artifacts looted and smuggled out of the country following the 2003 occupation, a senior ministry official said.

Qasim Al-Sudani, undersecretary of the ministry, said more than 5,000 registered museum artifacts were smuggled abroad after the invasion. He said successive governments have made recovering Iraq's antiquities a priority, recognizing them as both national treasures and part of the world's cultural heritage.

Al-Sudani said the ministry has worked with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Interior, Interpol, intelligence agencies, Iraqi embassies, and members of the Iraqi diaspora to track artifacts that appear at public and private auctions. Thousands of items have been recovered through these efforts, he said.

He explained that looted antiquities fall into two broad categories. One involves registered museum pieces that were stolen and smuggled abroad, while the other consists of artifacts taken during illegal and unregulated excavations, making them more difficult to identify and track.

Al-Sudani said Iraq's National Security Service and Intelligence Service, in coordination with the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, are monitoring the illicit trade and have helped recover significant numbers of artifacts.

He emphasized that recovering Iraq's cultural heritage remains a key priority for the ministry and said additional recovered artifacts will be announced as the process continues.