Tunnels under ancient Mosul mosque show Islamic State’s focus on loot
Extensive excavations by Islamic State militants under Mosul's ancient Mosque of Jonah show they took care to preserve artifacts for loot, a local archaeologist said, in sharp contrast to their public desecration of antiquities. The careful way the tunnels were dug show the militants wanted to keep the treasures intact, said archaeologist Musab Mohammed Jassim, […]Huda Majeed writes for Reuters:
Extensive excavations by Islamic State militants under Mosul's ancient Mosque of Jonah show they took care to preserve artifacts for loot, a local archaeologist said, in sharp contrast to their public desecration of antiquities.
The careful way the tunnels were dug show the militants wanted to keep the treasures intact, said archaeologist Musab Mohammed Jassim, from the Nineveh Antiquities and Heritage Department
"They used simple tools and chisels to dig the tunnels, in order not to damage the artifacts," he said, standing near the tunnel network which leads from the mosque ruins above ground to the much older subterranean palace.
