Iraqi Forces Reclaim Site of Destroyed al-Nuri Mosque in Old Mosul

Iraqi forces said on June 29 that they had recaptured the site of the destroyed al-Nuri Mosque in Old Mosul.

The forces also said they had captured the al-Sirjkhana neighborhood and continued advancing in Old Mosul.

The mosque and its leaning al-Hadba minaret were blown up on June 22 as Iraqi forces were advancing against IS, whose fighter were confined to a few final enclaves of the city.

The al-Nuri Mosque was where Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced the establishment of the Islamic State’s caliphate in 2014. It and the al-Hadba minaret had been icons of the city for hundreds of years. Credit: Command of Anti-Terrorism Forces via Storyful