Islamic State militants have destroyed the historic Great Mosque of al-Nuri, the Iraqi military said in a statement Wednesday. The mosque, located in Mosul, is famous for its leaning minaret and was where ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared an Islamic caliphate in 2014.
Shortly after the Iraqis blamed ISIS for the mosque's destruction, the terror group released a statement via its Amaq news wire claiming that the U.S. blew up the landmark.
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