ISIS destroys mosque where leader declared caliphate

The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has blown up the iconic mosque where its leader declared the caliphate almost three years ago, the Iraqi Defense Ministry and U.S. military said Wednesday.

“The Daesh terror gangs committed another historical crime by blowing up the al-Nuri mosque and its historical al-Hadba minaret,” the ministry said in a statement, using an alternative name for ISIS, according to Reuters.

The U.S. military, too, called the destruction of the mosque a “crime.”

“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,” Maj. Gen. Joseph Martin, U.S. commander of ground forces in the coalition, said in a statement. “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.”

The Great Mosque of al-Nuri was built in the 12th century and known for its leaning minaret, which gave the city of Mosul its nickname of “the hunchback.”

In July 2014, shortly after ISIS took Mosul, the terrorist group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced the formation of a self-styled caliphate from the pulpit of the mosque.

{mosads}Iraqi forces, backed by the U.S.-led coalition, have been fighting to rout ISIS from its remaining neighborhoods in Mosul for months.

Earlier this week, Iraqi forces launched a fresh push into Mosul’s Old City, where the remaining ISIS fighters in the city are holed up.

Iraq’s elite Counter Terrorism Service units were within 50 meters, or about 164 feet, of the mosque when the explosion happened, according to the Iraqi statement.

In its own statement, ISIS blamed U.S. airstrikes for the destruction of the mosque.

Retaking the mosque would have been a huge symbolic victory for the Iraqis. But ISIS blowing it up is being interpreted as the group acknowledging it will lose Mosul.

Still, the U.S. military cautioned Wednesday that the fight for Mosul continues despite the destruction of the mosque.

“The battle for the liberation of Mosul is not yet complete, and we remain focused on supporting the [Iraqi Security Forces] with that objective in mind,” Martin said.

Mosul is the last major city ISIS holds in Iraq. U.S. officials have consistently warned that while retaking it is important, it will not end the fight against the group nor the threat it poses to the West.