The ancient mosque at the centre of the war-torn Iraqi city of Mosul has been destroyed by Islamic State militants.
The Grand al-Nuri Mosque and its minaret were blown up by Islamic State, a statement by the Iraqi military said.
"Our forces were advancing toward their targets deep in the Old City and when they got to within 50 metres of the Nuri mosque, Daesh committed another historical crime by blowing up the Nuri mosque," General Abdulamir Yarallah said.
The jihadi group meanwhile has blamed the landmark mosque's destruction on an American air raid.
The ancient mosque at the centre of the war-torn Iraqi city of Mosul has been destroyed by Islamic State militants.
The Grand al-Nuri Mosque and its minaret were blown up by Islamic State, a statement by the Iraqi military said.
The jihadi group meanwhile has blamed the landmark mosque's destruction on an American air raid.
9RAW: British journalist speaks on the battle for Mosul
The mosque was of deep symbolic value to both sides, with Islamic State opting to destroy it rather than concede it as Iraqi military forces advanced.
Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi appeared at the mosque in 2014 to proclaim the foundation of a new Caliphate, or religious territory.
But the destruction of the mosque by Islamic State is a heavy blow to their ambitions, Mosul-based journalist Owen Holdaway told France24.
"This mosque has such symbolic value, it does dent the idea of them having a so-called caliphate going forward," Holdaway said.
Finished in 1173, the Great Mosque of al-Nuri is one of most significant religious landmarks in Iraq.
When Islamic State attempted to destroy the mosque in 2014, residents of Mosul formed a human chain to block their efforts.
Islamic State had previously destroyed one of the other deeply revered landmarks in Mosul, the tomb of the Prophet Jonah.
Jonah is a revered religious figure in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and had preached in the city of Nineveh, the site of present-day Mosul.
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