Isis has purportedly opened its own luxury hotel in Iraq's second city Mosul for members of the extremist group to stay in while visiting.
Pictures circulated by Isis-affiliated social media accounts show members tending to a well-maintained garden
, polishing floors and cleaning windows, expansive swimming pools and two black Isis flags flying at the front of the multi-storey building.The hotel is believed to be the Ninawa International Hotel, which received a number of positive reviews on TripAdvisor before being overtaken by militants and stripped of its branding. It has 262 rooms, two restaurants, two ballrooms and a gymnasium, among other facilities.
The images are a departure from Isis' typical propaganda, which usually depicts buildings and monuments being bulldozed as opposed to maintained. It is furthermore off-message by showcasing luxurious surroundings that only some can afford, a concept more familiar within Western capitalist society, undermining the notion propagated by Isis of an inclusive caliphate that serves everyone who swears allegiance to it.
Isis opens 262-room luxury hotel in Mosul - Middle East - World - The Independent
Last edited:
