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| Isis blows up famous Grand al-Nuri Mosque in Mosul, where caliphate was declared | Isis blows up famous Grand al-Nuri Mosque in Mosul, where caliphate was declared |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Isis fighters have blown up the world famous Grand al-Nuri Mosque in Mosul, according to the Iraqi military. | |
| The Counter Terrorism Service had advanced to within 50 metres of the mosque during a push to take over the spot where the so-called caliphate was declared, according to the military and the senior commander of the international coalition fighting Isis. | |
| The US-led coalition has been providing air and ground support for the Mosul offensive since October when the efforts began. | |
| Iraqi officials have privately said that they would like to capture the mosque in time for Eid al-Fitr, a festival that takes place at the end of Ramadan, the month in which Muslims fast. That festival begins this year in Iraq on June 25 or 26. | |
| Isis "terror gangs committed another historical crime by blowing up the al-Nuri mosque and its historical al-Habda minaret", the Iraqi military said in a statement. | |
| Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed himself "caliph" - ruler of all Muslims - from the lectern in July 2014 in the mediaeval mosque after his forces took over parts of Iraq and Syria. The black flag of the terror group has flown from atop the famous minaret there since June 2014. | |
| The Isis news agency says that US planes were responsible for the blown up mosque, which is featured on the Iraqi 10,000 dinar note. | |
| The Isis militants have been tricky in their manoeuvres as the coalition has tried to retake the area, weaving through the city's alleyways and narrow streets to fight back against coalition forces. Some streets are obstructed with cloth to disrupt air surveillance, which has made the situation even more dangerous for civilians. | |
| Even so, the Iraqi army estimates that there are just 300 Isis fighters left in the city, down from the estimated 6,000 who were there when the fighting began. | |
| The situation in Old City is reportedly very grim for civilians. There are more than 100,000 non-militants trapped in the fragile homes of the area with little or no food, water, medicine, and electricity. Their access to medical clinics is also very limited. | |
| Should coalition forces retake the city, it would effectively be the end of the Iraq portion of the caliphate, even though Isis fighters would still control territories to the west and south of Mosul. | |
| Baghdadi is unlikely to be found in Mosul, as he has reportedly left the fighting there to local commanders. The Isis leader is suspected to be hiding in the border area between Iraq and Syria, US and Iraqi military sources say. | |
| More follows… | More follows… |