Writing in the Washington Post, Jason Ukman says that 30 items looted from Iraq have been returned, with hundreds more to follow. Investigators have been tracking stolen artifacts on Craigslist and Christie’s, among other places.  The recovered items include ancient artifacts and items from Saddam Hussein’s rule.

Ukman says: An estimated 15,000 pieces were stolen from Iraq’s National Museum in pillaging after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, and many more are believed to have been smuggled out since then by U.S. military personnel and contractors. More than half of the items that have turned up in the United States or elsewhere have been repatriated to Iraq, but treasured items remain missing.

Photo: A recovered painting of Saddam Hussein with perspective corrected by the Daily Mirror. Credit: U.S. Department of Homeland Security