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TAKING BACK MOSUL

Incredible pictures reveal devastation of Mosul’s Nabi Yunus shrine three years after it was blown up by ISIS jihadists

THE sacred historic site once welcomed pilgrims from all over the world

THESE pictures reveal the devastating ruins of a sacred shrine destroyed by ISIS after it was finally taken back by Iraqi forces.

Soldiers battling ISIS in Mosul this week retook an area where jihadists bombed one of the city's most important shrines in 2014, officials said.

The remains of the Tomb of Prophet Yunus, which was retaken by government forces in Iraq this week
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The remains of the Tomb of Prophet Yunus, which was retaken by government forces in Iraq this weekCredit: Reuters
The sacred shrine was bombed by ISIS in 2014, sparking outrage
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The sacred shrine was bombed by ISIS in 2014, sparking outrageCredit: Reuters
Forces raised the Iraqi flag above the tomb after taking back control this week
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Forces raised the Iraqi flag above the tomb after taking back control this weekCredit: Reuters

Now these incredible photos show the destruction caused by ISIS to the historic Nabi Yunus site, which once attracted pilgrims from all over the world.

Sabah al-Noman, spokesman for the Counter-Terrorism Service, said: "We retook control of Nabi Yunus area... raised the Iraqi flag above the tomb."

He said two other neighbourhoods in eastern Mosul were also retaken from ISIS on Monday.

The Nabi Yunus shrine - built on the reputed burial site of a prophet known in the Koran as Yunus and in the Bible as Jonah - was a popular pilgrimage site.

In July 2014, weeks after overrunning Mosul and much of Iraq's Sunni Arab heartland, ISIS militants rigged the shrine and blew it up, sparking global outrage.

Soldiers inspect the site which was ravaged by jihadists who reportedly dug up the grave of Prophet Yunus
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Soldiers inspect the site which was ravaged by jihadists who reportedly dug up the grave of Prophet YunusCredit: Reuters
Iraqi soldiers inspect the tomb, which once attracted pilgrims from all over the world
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Iraqi soldiers inspect the tomb, which once attracted pilgrims from all over the worldCredit: Reuters
Around 90 per cent of Mosul is now back under government control as forces battle against ISIS forces
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Around 90 per cent of Mosul is now back under government control as forces battle against ISIS forcesCredit: Reuters
Soldiers inspect the shrine, which was taken on Monday last week along with two other east Mosul neighbourhoods
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Soldiers inspect the shrine, which was taken on Monday last week along with two other east Mosul neighbourhoodsCredit: Reuters

The organisation also destroyed several other key landmarks in Mosul and elsewhere it considered as part of heretical rituals and practices.

Staff Lieutenant General Abdulghani al-Assadi, a top commander in the CTS, said "about 90 percent" of east Mosul was now under government control.

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Commanders have said it would only take a few more days to flush out the last jihadists remaining on the east bank of the Tigris River than splits the city in two.

The destruction of all bridges over the river in air strikes has made it difficult for IS fighters in east Mosul to resupply or escape to the west bank, which they still fully control.

The western side of Mosul, which is home to the old city and some of the jihadists' traditional bastions, was always tipped as likely to offer the most resistance.

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