UNESCO finds Islamic State-era bombs in Mosul mosque walls, years after defeat of extremist group

(30 Jun 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mosul, Iraq - 29 June 2024
1. Mosque tomb under construction
2. Reconstruction materials lined up in mosque yard
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Bilal Akram, resident living near al-Nouri mosque:
“It was a few days ago, only three or four days ago when they discovered an explosive device. It was discovered by poor workers working on the site, and while working they shouted 'foreman, foreman there is a mine.' There were wires coming from under it. Now the work has been suspended. They stopped working because the explosive devices are still inside al-Nouri Mosque, and the engineering team are coming from Baghdad as it's a big one. If this exploded it would eliminate the whole area. I live in this area. My house and my parents’ house would be gone.”
4. Various of construction
5. Street by construction
6. Street near construction
7. Mosque dome
STORYLINE:
The United Nations cultural agency said Saturday it had discovered five bombs hidden within the walls of a historic mosque in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, a remnant of the Islamic State militant group’s rule over the area.
The al-Nouri Mosque, famous for its 12th-century leaning minaret, was destroyed by IS in 2017 and has been a focal point of UNESCO’s restoration efforts since 2020.
UNESCO said that five large-scale explosive devices, designed for significant destruction, were found inside the southern wall of the Prayer Hall on Tuesday.
It said one bomb had been defused and removed, while the remaining four are "interconnected and will be safely disposed of in the coming days.”
Iraqi authorities have requested UNESCO halt all reconstruction operations the mosque and evacuate the entire complex until the devices are disarmed.
IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared an Islamic caliphate from the mosque a decade ago on June 29, 2014, leading to its destruction when extremists blew it up during the battle to liberate Mosul in 2017.
The discovery of these bombs underscores ongoing challenges in clearing Mosul of explosives and revitalizing its devastated urban areas.
International efforts, supported by the United Nations, focus on mine clearance and aiding in the city’s recovery.
Despite progress, much of Mosul’s old city remains in ruins, marked by minefield warning signs.
UNESCO aims to complete the full reconstruction of al-Nouri Mosque by December 2024.
A decade after IS declared its caliphate in large parts of Iraq and Syria, the extremists no longer control any land, have lost many prominent leaders and are mostly out of the world news headlines.
AP video shot by Farid Abdulwahed
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