ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Kurdish Peshmerga forces recently confiscated a drilling machine the Islamic State (IS) were using to dig their underground tunnels.

On Oct. 17, Peshmerga forces launched a military operation to liberate Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq.

The Peshmerga’s offensive began from the east of the city where they retook some villages from the insurgent group.

The operation continued until Oct. 24 where Peshmerga forces freed several villages in the north and northeast of Mosul, including Small and Big Tiskhrab village.

While Peshmerga forces and their engineering team were busy clearing the areas from IS militants and booby traps, they uncovered many underground tunnels built by the insurgents.

Inside one of the tunnels, the Kurdish forces discovered a drilling device IS was using to create the underground pathways in the area.

The following are the photos of the machine found in the village of Small Tiskhrab: