- Title: Iraqi Counter Terrorism Services discover tunnel underneath villages near Mosul
- Date: 27th October 2016
- Summary: BAZWAIA, IRAQ (OCTOBER 27, 2016) (REUTERS) COUNTER TERRORISM SERVICES (CTS) SOLDIERS POINTING TOWARDS SITE OF TUNNEL ENTRANCE VARIOUS OF CTS SOLDIERS ENTERING TUNNEL MOVING THROUGH TUNNEL CTS SOLDIERS MOVING THROUGH THE TUNNEL BARTELLA, IRAQ (OCTOBER 27, 2016) (REUTERS) CTS SOLDIERS NEAR ENTRANCE OF ANOTHER TUNNEL (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MEMBER OF COUNTER TERROR SERVICE FORCES, RAZED QUSAI AL KINANI, SAYING: "When we entered the Khazna Taba neighbourhood (in Bartella) and after we liberated it, we found several tunnels. Among them is this tunnel you see here. This tunnel is 200 metres long and is 10 metres deep. It was used by Daesh (a commonly used Arabic acronym for Islamic State) for meetings and to allow their leaders to move around during the battle." BAZWAIA, IRAQ (OCTOBER 27, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS MOVING THROUGH TUNNEL CTS SOLDIERS STANDING NEAR ENTRANCE OF A TUNNEL VARIOUS OF TUNNEL SOLDIERS DROPPING A LADDER INTO TUNNEL SOLDIER DESCENDING INTO TUNNEL SOLDIER EMERGING FROM TUNNEL RUBBLE LYING NEAR DAMAGED HOUSES IN AREA GRAFFITI ON WALL READING (Arabic): THE CALIPHATE WILL REMAIN, NINEVEH GOVERNORATE GRAFFITI ON WALL READING (Arabic): ONLY THE SWORD LIES BETWEEN US AND THE WORSHIPPERS OF THE CROSS VARIOUS OF ISLAMIC STATE GRAFFITI ON WALL, WITH CTS SOLDIER GRAFFITI UNDERNEATH / ARMOURED VEHICLE MOVING ALONG STREET VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS CHECKING IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICES VARIOUS OF SOLDIER INSPECTING ARTILLERY GUN CAPTURED FROM ISLAMIC STATE
- Embargoed: 11th November 2016 13:02
- Keywords: Bartella Bazwaia Iraq Islamic State tunnel Mosul village Razed Qusai al Kinani
- Location: BARTELLA AND BAZWAIAI, IRAQ
- City: BARTELLA AND BAZWAIAI, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Military Conflicts
- Reuters ID: LVA00155S7DJB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service forces uncovered several tunnels on Wednesday (October 27) used by Islamic State in recently recaptured villages around Mosul.
The tunnels, some of which were 10 metres deep, were used as escape routes and to hold meetings for the jihadists. They were found in the villages of Bartella and Bazwaia, located between 5 and 7 km (3 and 4 miles) east of Mosul.
Islamic State fighters, estimated at between 4,000 and 8,000, have rigged villages with explosives, mined and booby-trapped roads, built oil-filled moats they can set alight, dug tunnels and trenches and have shown every willingness to use Mosul's up to 1.5 million civilians as human shields.
The Mosul campaign, which aims to crush the Iraqi half of Islamic State's declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria, may become the biggest battle yet in the 13 years of turmoil triggered by the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, and could require a massive humanitarian relief operation. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None