UNESCO said it had found five bombs hidden in the walls of the historic al-Nuri mosque in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, a remnant of the Islamic State (IS) militant group's rule over the area.
The mosque, famous for its leaning minaret from the 12th century, was destroyed by IS in 2017 and was under restoration by UNESCO as of 2020.
UNESCO said that five large explosive devices were found inside the southern wall on Tuesday.
"These explosive devices were hidden in a specially renovated part of the wall, the Iraqi authorities were immediately informed, the area was secured, and the situation is now completely under control," the statement said.
It added that "one bomb has been defused and removed, while the remaining four are interconnected and will be safely removed in the coming days."
The Iraqi authorities have asked UNESCO to suspend all reconstruction operations of the al-Nuri mosque and to evacuate the entire complex until the devices are deactivated.
IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared an Islamic caliphate in that very mosque on June 29, 2014, and it was destroyed when extremists blew it up during the 2017 battle to liberate Mosul.
UNESCO aims to complete the full reconstruction of the al-Nuri Mosque by December and to "finally erase the stigma of the IS occupation," the statement said.
The discovery of the bombs shows the challenges in clearing Mosul of explosives and rebuilding its devastated urban areas.
Despite the progress, much of Mosul's old city remains in ruins, with numerous minefield warning signs.
A decade after Islamic State declared its caliphate in large parts of Iraq and Syria, the extremists no longer control nearly as much territory and have lost many prominent leaders.
Still, the group continues to recruit members and claim responsibility for deadly attacks around the world, including deadly operations in Iran and Russia earlier this year that left dozens dead.
IS sleeper cells in Syria and Iraq continue to attack government forces in both countries, as well as US-backed Syrian fighters, at a time when the Iraqi government is negotiating with Washington over a possible withdrawal of US troops.
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