As Kurdish-Iraqi Peshmerga forces advance on ISIS capital Mosul, the last of its strongholds in Iraq, ISIS's tunnels in the region are being discovered. Fox News featured an exclusive peek into one such tunnel, which is part of a large network linking strategic buildings. The tunnels were dug as air strikes on Mosul became more intense, forcing ISIS to move underground.
According to the video report, the tunnels serve multiple purposes: as storerooms, dormitories, bomb shelters and living quarters. ISIS also reportedly began depending on tunnels to hold its meetings. They were dug by hand, and are "extremely hot" to stay in. The sand excavated from the tunnels was stored in the house from which the tunnel begins, so as not to disclose the tunnel's location.
Iraq’s elite special forces are closing in on Mosul from the east, slowly retaking Christian towns and villages that were seized by ISIS two years ago. Advancing Iraqi forces on Saturday entered the town of Qaraqosh, about 30 km south of Mosul.
According to reports in November, ISIS expanded its tunnel system in Mosul, moving all its control posts – that used to be on the city outskirts – to heavily populated residential areas.