IRBIL, IRAQ—Daesh destroyed Mosul’s al-Nuri mosque and its iconic leaning minaret known as al-Hadba late Wednesday night when fighters detonated explosives inside the structures, according to Iraq’s Ministry of Defence. The mosque — also known as Mosul’s Great Mosque — is where Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a so-called Islamic caliphate in 2014 shortly after the city was overrun by the militants and was seen as a key symbolic prize in the fight for Iraq’s second largest city. In a statement posted online Wednesday night after the Ministry of Defence statement, Daesh, also known as ISIS and ISIL, claimed an airstrike carried out by the United States destroyed the mosque and minaret. Daesh fighters initially attempted to destroy the minaret in July 2014. Daesh demolished dozens of historic and archaeological sites in and around Mosul, saying they promoted idolatry.

Source: thestar June 21, 2017 20:25 UTC