Iraqi Forces Continue Push Towards Historic Mosque in West Mosul

Iraqi forces continued advances towards the historic Great Mosque of al-Nuri, known for its leaning minaret, on March 20, according to Iraq reports.

The Iraqi Federal Police said that Iraqi forces advanced 100 meters along the river bank and 200 meters in the Bab al-Bayd area, killing 36 IS fighters.

Iraqi forces also said that a residential complex near Badush factory in north Mosul had been “liberated” from Islamic State.

The mosque is an important target for Iraqi forces: it was there that the Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi delivered a speech in 2014 in which he declared the establishment of an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq, appointing himself as the Caliph or “ruler” of the proclaimed state. Credit: Facebook/Iraqi Federal Police via Storyful