Iraqi PM announces end of IS Caliphate in Mosul
Iraqi forces captured historic al-Nuri Mosque and Hadba minaret.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Iraqi Prime Minister on Thursday announced the end of the Islamic State (IS) Caliphate in the city of Mosul.
Haider al-Abadi, the Iraqi PM, declared victory over IS extremists in Mosul after the Iraqi forces took control of the ruined al-Nuri mosque and Hadba Minaret at the heart of the extremist group’s self-proclaimed capital of Mosul.
According to the Iraqi state TV, Abadi said that “The destruction of al-Nuri mosque and Hadba Minaret and their control by the Iraqi forces from IS signal the end of the so-called caliphate.”
Brigadier General Nabeel al-Fatlawi, a commander in the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Units told Kurdistan24 that only a few IS remnants have remained in East Mosul’s Old City.
The demolished mosque in the heart of the Old City of Mosul was where IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made a rare public appearance in early July 2014.
At the time, Baghdadi had given a speech proclaiming the creation of a new self-styled “caliphate,” only weeks after his fighters seized control of the city.
Editing by Ava Homa