New reports claims ISIS blew up the historic great Mosque of al-Nuri and its leaning minaret in Mosul.
However,
ISIS through its news agency, said US warplanes were responsible for
destroying the historic mosque that has towered over Mosul for over
800-years.
US officials have since denied
the claims by ISIS saying it’s “1,000% false.” while Iraq Prime Minister
Haider al-Abadi said the ISIS act amounts to “an official announcement
of their defeat” as Iraqi military commanders confirm that militants
blew the mosque up after troops closed in.
The
great al-Nuri mosque was built by the Seljuk ruler Nur al-Din al-Zangi
Atabeg and completed in 1172. It’s most notable feature is the Al Hadba
minaret, which leans 253 centimeters (100 inches). The Mosque was
dismantled and reassembled in 1942, but the minaret remained one of the
few original elements.