Al-Hadba minaret at the Grand Mosque is seen through a building window in the old city of Mosul, Iraq June 1, 2017. PHOTO: REUTERS
The Al-Nuri mosque and its iconic leaning minaret were leveled on Wednesday evening as US-backed Iraqi forces closed in on militant hold-outs in the northern city.
Iraq forces make Mosul gains, but anti-Islamic State war far from over
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the bombing of such a site "only further proves that ISIS has no respect for Iraq's identity, culture or its religions."
Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi once exploited the powerful symbolism of the mosque to boost his stature when he gave his first sermon as leader of the group. But his fighters apparently preferred to demolish the shrine - and attempt to blame US air strikes - rather than allow it to fall into the hands of advancing government forces.
Iraq probes report of rights abuses in Mosul operation
"The despicable act is a crime not only against the people of Mosul and Iraq, but the world," Nauert said. "The world has yet again lost an important part of our shared heritage at the hands of ISIS."
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ