Local Editor

The so-called "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" [ISIL] militants have demolished the holy shrine of Prophet Yunus in a gruesome act of terrorism in the Iraqi city of Mosul.

The "ISIL" Takfiri militants "completely destroyed the shrine of Nabi Yunus after telling local families to stay away and closing the roads to a distance of 500 meters from the shrine," AFP quoted an official at the Sunni endowment, which manages Sunni religious affairs in Iraq, as saying on Thursday.

The endowment official further noted that the Takfiri militants have already destroyed or damaged 30 shrines, as well as 15 religious sites and mosques in and around the Iraqi city.

"But the worst destruction was of Nabi Yunus, which has been turned to dust," the official said.
"They first stopped people from praying in it, then fixed explosive charges around and inside it and then blew it up in front of a large gathering of people," a witness said on condition of anonymity.

The shrine of Prophet Yunus is one of the most well-known shrines in Iraq's northern city. The prophet is known as Yunus in the holy Qur'an and as Jonah in the Bible.

The official also listed the shrines of Yahya Ibn al-Qassem, Aoun al-Din and Prophet Daniel as the most important holy shrines destroyed or damaged by the "ISIL."

The crisis in Iraq escalated after the "ISIL" militants took control of Mosul in a lightning advance on June 10, which was followed by the fall of Tikrit, located 140 kilometers [87 miles] northwest of the capital Baghdad.

The Iraqi army, backed by tribal forces and volunteers, has been engaged in heavy fighting with the militants on different fronts and has so far been able to push back militants in several areas, including in Tikrit.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team