In the iconic al-Nuri mosque in Mosul, the UN has found five bombs hidden in a wall. The bombs are believed to have been hidden by the terrorist network IS several years ago.
Five "large-scale explosive devices, designed to trigger massive destruction", were found in the southern wall of the prayer hall in the al-Nuri mosque. The discovery was made by a UNESCO team working to restore the mosque.
One bomb has been removed, but four other 1.5-kilo bombs are "still connected to each other" and are expected to be removed in the coming days.
The explosives were hidden inside a wall, which was specifically built around the bombs. This is believed to be the reason why Iraqi forces did not detect the bombs when they cleared the site in 2020, according to UNESCO.
The al-Nuri mosque has roots dating back to the 12th century and was destroyed during the battle to retake the city from the terrorist network IS.
It was from the al-Nuri mosque that Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, IS's then-leader, proclaimed the establishment of the group's "caliphate" in July 2014.
UNESCO, the UN's cultural organization, has been working to restore the mosque and other architectural cultural heritage sites in the city, which were largely destroyed in the battle to retake Mosul in 2017.
