ABP News in Iraq: ISIS fighters lived luxurious life in underground bunkers of Mosul

NEW DELHI: It has taken years, and thousands of lives, but Iraqi forces in July had reclaimed Iraq's second largest city Mosul from the ISIS militants who held it for three years. Mosul, 400 km north of Iraq's capital Baghdad, came under IS control since June 2014, when government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions. The terror group 'rose' onto the world stage in June 2014 when a few thousand of its fighters captured this city. Though, the Iraqi forces have declared victory in the battle for control of the Islamic State’s former stronghold but the underground bunkers, warren of tunnels, subterranean rooms and ISIS's now-destroyed command center are still there to narrate the days of terror. Remains of bunkers and tunnels reveled ISIS militants used to operate underground. Their hiding places were well equipped and had televisions, refrigerators, ACs and fans. They had planted fields of deadly bombs in areas they were driven out from. Whenever there used to be a confrontation with the forces, the ISIS militants took a secret entrance to the underground passageways to run away. ISIS fighters have dug trenches, walls of which are now shredded by airstrikes and artillery, around the city. They had built a network of tunnels, complete with sleeping quarters, wired with electricity and fortified with sandbags. Rows of sandbags line sections of the walls, stocks of ammunition including bomb-making tools can still be traced in the ISIS hideouts. ISIS dug tunnels for protection and movement throughout the territory it controls in Iraq, even before the US-led coalition launched its campaign of airstrikes against the group. Mosul took a heavy toll on Iraqi forces. As many as 1,400 troops were killed and more than 7,000 wounded, and the Iraqi military has proceeded methodically since its biggest success to date. Senior US military leaders had recently said that Iraqi forces are largely set for their next major campaign against Islamic State extremists after closing out the wrenching battle to retake the city of Mosul. Lt Gen Stephen Townsend, the top US commander in Iraq, said he sees the Iraqi assault on the IS-held area of Tal Afar "unfolding relatively soon." The upcoming fight follows weeks of Iraq regrouping troops and repairing equipment and weapons after recapturing Mosul in July. (With inputs from AP)