ISIS 'destroys historic church in Mosul'
ISIS has destroyed Mosul's famed Clock Church, one of the best-known churches that remained in the Iraqi city, according to Iraqi news reports.
No photos of the detonated church have been released to confirm the report, however the church has historically been a target, and was damaged in 2006. ISIS has not made a statement about its destruction.
The Clock Church, given its name because of the its dominating clock tower, was built in 1872 by the Dominican Order.
The clock tower was commissioned by Empress Eugenie of France, wife of the last Emperor Napoleon III, for the Dominican Fathers.
She gave the money as a reward for the friars' work in curing typhoid in the city.
According to a number of sources, ISIS jihadists planted explosives and detonated them on Monday morning.
Mosul was first captured by ISIS in June 2014, when they destroyed many Christian places of worship.
The city has historically been home to various religions and ethnicities, including Sunni Muslims, Christians, Shabaks, Arabs, Kurds Assyrians, Armenians and Turkmens.
ISIS is currently facing pressure in Mosul from surrounding Kurdish and Iraqi government forces. The US coalition has also strategically bombed key ISIS strongholds in the city.
