Kabul, July 22 : Afghan forces have thwarted attempts to smuggle historical documents weighing 10 kg abroad in south Afghanistan's Kandahar province, state media reported.

Two men, according to the Bakhtar news agency, were attempting to traffic 10 kg of historical documents to neighbouring Pakistan. Afghan security forces spotted and apprehended the perpetrators, discovering the documents in the process.

Both culprits were arrested and transferred to concerned authorities for further investigation, the source added as reported by Xinhua news agency.

Since the Afghan caretaker government assumed power in August 2021, the country's Ministry of Information and Culture has prevented the outbound smuggling of 1,460 pieces of cultural relics belonging to different eras, including the periods of the Stone Age and the Kushan Empire, a spokesman of the Ministry said in April.

/IANS