840-year-old al-Nuri Mosque in Mosul Destroyed, Iraqi Ministry Blames on Islamic State

Scenes before and after destruction of Hadba and Nuri Mosque Mosul Iraq

 MOSUL: Iraqi Ministry of Defense said that Islamic State (IS) group destroyed Mosul’s al-Nuri mosque and its iconic leaning minaret known as al-Hadba after fighters detonated explosives inside the structures on Wednesday night.

Staff Lieutenant General Abdulamir Yarallah, the overall commander of the Mosul offensive, said in a statement to AFP, “Our forces were advancing toward their targets deep in the Old City and when they got to within 50 metres (yards) of the Nuri mosque, Daesh (IS) committed another historical crime by blowing up the Nuri mosque and the Hadba”. The destruction of two of Mosul’s best-known landmarks comes on the fourth day of an Iraqi offensive backed by the US-led coalition to take the Old City, where holdout jihadists are making a bloody last stand. 

The Iraq-born Baghdadi appeared at the Nuri mosque in Mosul, Iraq’s second city to proclaim its self-styled “caliphate” in June 2014, to declare himself “caliph” and urge the world’s Muslims to move in after sweeping across Iraq’s Sunni Arab heartland.

It remains the last public appearance to date for the jihadist supremo, whose fate and whereabouts are currently unclear and whose “state” has been shrinking for two years. 

Iraqi forces supported by United States forces launched an assault on the Old City of Mosul, eight months into a huge offensive to wrest back the northern city from the jihadists, who had made it their de facto Iraqi capital. 

The ancient minaret known as “Al-Hadba” (Hunchback) lies next to the Nuri mosque and was the most loved and recognizable landmark in Mosul, sometimes referred to as Iraq’s Tower of Pisa. 

The “Hadba” was completed in 1172 and had distinctive ornamental bands of brickwork wrapping around its cylindrical shaft. It started listing centuries ago and has long been considered an endangered monument. 

The minaret, with its unmistakable shape, was the symbol of the city and featured in many local shops signs and advertisements. It also gave its name to countless restaurants, companies and sports clubs. 

Still no word from IS on the destruction of Mosque. 

On the other hand BBC has aired a video of the Minaret being blown out