Video Reveals Underground Lair Of IS Militants

An extensive network of underground tunnels used by Islamic State militants under an Iraqi city has been revealed in newly obtained footage.

The video was filmed in Sinjar, which was recaptured by Kurdish and coalition forces on 12 November.

The film shows the labyrinth of passages dug under houses by the extremists to protect them from allied airstrikes.

The tunnels contained mattresses, blankets, fans, food, electrical cables and lightbulbs, curtains for privacy, shelves with books on them, and medication.

There were also ammunition boxes and what appeared to be bomb-making equipment.

Many of the tunnels have been shored up with sandbags to reinforce the bunkers against bombing raids.

Freelance journalist Eddy van Wessel, who shot the footage, said he had walked through several hundreds of metres of tunnels.

Because of the number of exits and turns, he believes they extend much further.

The militants were able to access the tunnels from houses and once underground, move around the city without exposing themselves to attack.

Video taken above ground revealed the extent of devastation caused by the fierce fighting with buildings reduced to rubble.

There is also separate footage showing what Kurdish officials and local residents describe as a mass grave, although the area has not been excavated yet.

Thousands of civilians are thought to have been killed by IS after the extremists overran the city of Sinjar and the surrounding villages in August 2014.

Kurdish and rebel forces, assisted by coalition air power, battled IS around the city for nearly a year starting in December 2014.