But 38-year-old Yasser Ali told the Agence France-Presse that while it was "Mosul's symbol and icon, there are people who have been killed. They are much more precious than the minaret".

It has been a core site in the urban life and development of the Old City of Mosul,” UNESCO says. Central to the mosque was a leaning minaret called al-Hadba. It was one of the symbols of Mosul.

It is also a symbol of the jihadists' intention to eradicate ... The Iraqi government was expected to recapture the town from IS before heading to Mosul in October 2016, and was criticised by ...