The new jihadist rulers of Iraq´s (ISIS) northern city of Mosul on Thursday completely levelled one its most well-known shrines, according to witnesses Shrine was built on the reputed burial site of a prophet known in the holy Quran as Hazrat Yunus (A.S) and in the Bible as Jonah.
“Islamic State completely destroyed the shrine of Nabi Yunus after telling local families to stay away and closing the roads to a distance of 500 metres from the shrine,” said the official.
The endowment official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, and Mosul residents told the media it took the extremists an hour to rig the shrine with explosives.
“They first stopped people from praying in it, they fixed explosive charges around and inside it and then blew it up in front of a large gathering of people,” said a witness who did not wish to give his name.