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Islamic State destroys Mosul's Great Mosque of al-Nuri

By Andrew V. Pestano
The Islamic State has destroyed Mosul's 845-year-old Great Mosque of al-Nuri, or Noor mosque, and its accompanying al-Hadba minaret, the U.S.-led international coalition fighting the militant Islamist group said. File Photo courtesy of U.S. Library of Congress
The Islamic State has destroyed Mosul's 845-year-old Great Mosque of al-Nuri, or Noor mosque, and its accompanying al-Hadba minaret, the U.S.-led international coalition fighting the militant Islamist group said. File Photo courtesy of U.S. Library of Congress

June 22 (UPI) -- The U.S.-led international coalition said the Islamic State has destroyed Mosul's al-Hadba minaret and the 845-year-old Great Mosque of al-Nuri, or Noor mosque, where leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is believed to have declared the "caliphate."

U.S. Army Col. Ryan Dillon, the spokesman for the coalition battling the militant Islamist group, said the Islamic State, also known as Daesh, ISIL and ISIS, is "fully responsible for this devastation and historic crime."

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"This act of ISIS desperation clearly shows how close the Iraqi security forces are to victory in Mosul," the coalition said in a statement.

A coalition official said the Islamic State destroyed the mosque and the minaret because Iraqi forces were closing in on the structure.

"This is a crime against the people of Mosul and all of Iraq, and is an example of why this brutal organization must be annihilated," U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Joseph Martin said. "The responsibility of this devastation is laid firmly at the doorstep of ISIS, and we continue to support our Iraqi partners as they bring these terrorists to justice. However, the battle for the liberation of Mosul is not yet complete, and we remain focused on supporting [Iraqi security forces] with that objective in mind."

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Mosul's Great Mosque of al-Nuri is where Islamic State leader Baghdadi is believed to have delivered a sermon in which he declared an Islamic State caliphate. Construction of the mosque was completed in the year 1172.

Iraqi Army Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasoul told Rudaw the Islamic State "booby trapped the al-Hadba Minaret and the al-Nuri Mosque and had stationed many militants nearby the two places."

Rasoul said described the destruction of the two historic sites as "blowing up the history" and said the militant group "added another crime against humanity." The minaret was especially iconic because it leaned to one side.

The act is a "clear gesture that ISIS has lost its morale by blowing the site where their leader had declared the caliphate and gave its first sermon from there," Rasoul said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Islamic State's destruction is a "formal declaration of defeat."

Iraq launched its military offensive to retake western Mosul from the Islamic State on Feb. 19. The offensive to retake Mosul began Oct. 17, led by Iraqi security forces and aided by the Kurdish Peshmerga, a Shiite-led militia, and the U.S.-led international coalition. Iraq captured east Mosul in late January.

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Rasoul said Iraqi forces are nearly in full control of west Mosul.

Iraqi officials released a video of the mosque and minaret's destruction, which appear to have occurred due to planted explosives.

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