Battle for Mosul: Destruction of al-Nuri mosque ‘shows IS defeated’

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi says the destruction of an ancient mosque in the city of Mosul is "an official declaration of defeat" by so-called Islamic State (IS).

Iraqi forces say IS blew up the Great Mosque of al-Nuri and its famous leaning minaret as jihadists battled to stop advancing pro-government troops.

IS said American aircraft had destroyed the complex, a claim denied by the US.

The mosque, which was more than 800 years old, was where in July 2014 IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi commanded allegiance in his first and only public appearance following IS' declaration days earlier of a "caliphate".

The mosque's destruction has brought widespread condemnation.

A senior US commander in Iraq said IS had destroyed "one of Mosul and Iraq's great treasures".

"This is a crime against the people of Mosul and all of Iraq, and is an example of why this brutal organisation must be annihilated," Maj Gen Joseph Martin said.

The Iraqi commander in charge of the offensive to retake Mosul said troops were within 50m (160ft) of the mosque when IS "committed another historical crime".

The Iraqi military provided this image showing the destruction at the mosque compound

Thousands of Iraqi security forces, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, Sunni Arab tribesmen and Shia militiamen, supported by US-led coalition warplanes and military advisers, are involved in the battle to retake the key city, which was launched on 17 October last year.

The government announced the full "liberation" of eastern Mosul in January but the west of the city has presented a more difficult challenge, with its narrow, winding streets.

On Thursday Iraqi forces said they were releasing civilians previously trapped under IS control in the Old City.

In statement to state-run Iraqia TV, a military official said: "We have broken the siege of IS and allowed the civilians to leave. This is evidence that IS has lost control."-(BBC)