MOSUL — Iraqi forces announced the liberation of Grand Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul where Abu Bakir al-Baghdadi proclaimed his self-styled caliphate in June 2014. Recapturing the mosque marks a significant moment in the Mosul assault, placing the Iraqi army in the heart of the Old City district, the last IS-held area in the city.
The IS militants last week bombed the Hadba ancient minaret adjoining the Grand Mosque, causing extensive damage to the mosque.
By liberating the symbolic mosque - where IS first declared the caliphate, the Iraqi official TV channel, al-Iraqiyah, announced the end of the organization in Mosul.
The operation to liberate Mosul was launched by the Iraqi and Peshmerga forces, backed by US-led coalition air support, on October 17, 2016. The eastern half of the city was declared free in January 2017, and the forces moved onto liberating the western part of the city on February 19, 2017.
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