Iraq declared the Islamic State group’s “caliphate” was coming to an end after it recaptured Mosul’s iconic Nuri mosque on Thursday, three years to the day after it was proclaimed by the jihadists.
The jihadist group announced its self-styled “caliphate” on June 29, 2014 across swathes of territory its fighters overran in Iraq and neighbouring Syria.
Its rule since then has been marked by repeated atrocities including mass beheadings and other executions documented in photos and videos that its supporters share online.
“Counter-Terrorism Service forces control the Nuri mosque and Al-Hadba (minaret),” Iraq’s joint operations command said in a statement.
Staff lieutenant general Abdulghani al-Assadi, a senior CTS officer, also confirmed its recapture, telling state TV that “the mosque is (now) behind our units.” Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi hailed the recapture of the mosque as a sign of ISIS’s impending defeat.
“We are seeing the end of the fake Daesh state,” Mr Abadi said in an English statement on his Twitter account, using an Arabic acronym for ISIS.
The mosque and its famed Al-Hadba (hunchback) leaning minaret were Mosul landmarks and also held major significance in the history of ISIS rule in Iraq. ISIS declared its “caliphate” in an audio recording three years ago.
