Isis blows up famous Grand al-Nuri Mosque in Mosul
The Counter Terrorism Service had advanced to within 50 metres of the mosque during a push to take over the spot where the so-called caliphate was declared, according to the military and the senior commander of the international coalition fighting Isis.
Isis "terror gangs committed another historical crime by blowing up the al-Nuri mosque and its historical al-Habda minaret", the Iraqi military said in a statement.
The Isis news agency Amaq says that US planes were responsible for the blown up mosque, which is featured on the Iraqi 10,000 dinar note.
The US-led coalition has been providing air and ground support for the Mosul offensive since October when the efforts began.
Iraqi officials have privately said that they would like to capture the mosque in time for Eid al-Fitr, a festival that takes place at the end of Ramadan, the month in which Muslims fast. That festival begins this year in Iraq on June 25 or 26.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed himself "caliph" - ruler of all Muslims - from the lectern in July 2014 in the mediaeval mosque after his forces took over significant portions of Iraq and Syria. The black flag of the terror group has flown from atop the famous minaret there since June 2014.
