VIDEO: Iraqi army confiscates explosives, alcohol used by IS in Mosul

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The Iraqi army and Special Forces on Monday confiscated weapons, explosives, religious books, and alcohol used by Islamic State (IS) extremists in Mosul.

A Kurdistan24 reporter embedded with the Iraqi army explored a house in al-Taa’mim neighborhood in the last IS stronghold in Iraq.

The house contained weapons, explosive elements, documents, religious books, clothes, and alcoholic drinks belonging to IS insurgents.

A Kurdish soldier in the Iraqi Special Forces told Kurdistan24 IS extremists used home-made weapons and highly explosive devices such as sulfur.

Moreover, the discovery of alcohol contradicts the hard-lined extremist group's beliefs. In many cases, the insurgents banned the use of alcohol in cities under their control.

The Iraqi army’s advance to retake Mosul had been suspended for several days as the troops and the US-led coalition were planning another strategy to begin the second phase of the offensive.

On Oct. 17, Iraqi and Peshmerga forces with the support of the US-led coalition warplanes launched the military operation to retake Mosul from IS.

According to the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, since the beginning of the offensive, 40 neighborhoods on the left coast of Mosul had been freed.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany

(Hoshmand Sadiq from Mosul contributed to this report)