Iraqi forces destroy 8 Islamic State tunnels in Nineveh, Salahuddin

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - Iraqi security forces told local media that, in the first few days of 2019, they had successfully destroyed eight separate secret tunnels used by the Islamic State (IS) in the provinces of Nineveh and Salahuddin.

“The security forces of Nineveh Operations Command found, during a military operation in Nineveh Province, four tunnels that were used by Islamic State militants,” military spokesperson Yahya Rasool told Alghad Press news website on Wednesday.

“The troops also found 10 mortar shells and nine explosive charges,” he continued, adding that the tunnels had been completely destroyed.

In a statement released the day before, as reported by Mawazin News, the Military Intelligence Directorate announced that its troops, during a security operation in Salahuddin Province that was backed by jet fighter support, discovered four tunnels and a 30-meter trench that had also been used by IS fighters. 

The tunnels, located north of Tikrit in areas surrounding Makhoul Mountain, were also destroyed by security forces.

The Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) has warned in recent months that sleeper cells and other remnants of the terrorist organization were mobilizing to increase activity. Acts of terrorism involving kidnappings, car bombings, the assassinations of village leaders, and attacks on the local electrical grid remain persistent.

A UN report released in early November reported that more than 200 mass graves containing the remains of thousands of victims have been discovered in areas formerly controlled by IS in provinces that included both Nineveh and Salahuddin.