ISIS destroy 845-year-old Mosul mosque where terror chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi gave 2014 caliphate sermon in desperate bid to save face
The historic religious landmark was where ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi infamously proclaimed a 'caliphate' in 2014
ISIS warlords last night have blown up the iconic al-Nuri mosque in Mosul, where the terror group's leader proclaimed a caliphate, Iraqi forces have said.
Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service said troops were within 50 yards of the famous landmark, with support from the US-led coalition, when ISIS committed another historical crime.
Images released by the US military show an aerial view of the widespread damage caused to the mosque and surrounding area of Mosul's Old City.
ISIS fighters detonated explosives inside the structures on Wednesday night, Iraq's Ministry of Defense said.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi tweeted early Thursday, the destruction was an admission by ISIS militants that they are losing the fight for Iraq's second-largest city.
He wrote: "Daesh's (Islamic State) bombing of the al-Hadba minaret and the al-Nuri Mosque is a formal declaration of their defeat."
The Iraqi military said in a statement last night: "The Daesh (Islamic State) terror gangs committed another historical crime by blowing up the al Nuri mosque and its historical al-Hadba minare."
The mosque, also known as Mosul's Great Mosque, along with its minaret, was one of the most famous buildings in Mosul's Old City.
It was where the terror group's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi infamously proclaimed a "caliphate" in 2014.
The minaret that leaned like Italy's Tower of Pisa had stood for more than 840 years.
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But on-the-run ISIS claims a US strike destroyed the mosque, in a statement issued by its news outlet Amaq.
The US-led coalition have rejected the terror group's claim.
A coalition spokesman, US Army Col. Ryan Dillon, told The Associated Press: "We did not conduct strikes in that area at that time."
The black flag of ISIS had been flying over the leaning minaret since June 2014.
On Wednesday morning, US and British-backed Iraqi forces began a push towards the mosque, having encircled jihadi fighters in the Old City.
An estimated 100,000 civilians were holed up with the last remaining ISIS troops in Mosul, the UN has stated.
The government announced the full "liberation" of eastern Mosul in January 2017, but the west has presented a more difficult challenge, with its narrow, winding streets.
Earlier this month, Mosul residents reported ISIS fighters began sealing off the area around the mosque. Residents said that ISIS militants ordered families living in the area to evacuate in preparation for a final stand.
The fight to retake Mosul was launched more than eight months ago and has displaced more than 850,000 people.
While Iraqi forces have experienced periods of swift gains, combat inside the city has been gruelling and deadly for both Iraqi forces and civilians.