Mosul, June 22 (RHC)-- The extremist Islamic State terrorists have blown up Mosul's historical al-Nuri mosque and its leaning minaret, as Iraqi forces are pushing near the Mosque area in the western side of Mosul, the Iraqi military said. 

The mosque with its famous leaning minaret, which gave the city its nickname "al-Hadbaa" or "the hunchback," has a symbolic value, as it was the place where IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the cross-border "caliphate" in Iraq and Syria in his sole public appearance in July 2014. 

The move of the IS militants came as the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) commandos launched a new push since the early morning toward al-Nuri mosque and the surrounding areas, fighting fierce house-to-house battles and recapturing some alleys near the mosque. 

According to UN reports, some 100,000 civilians are still trapped in the IS-held areas in the old city center and the adjacent al-Shifaa neighborhood.  The extremist group is reportedly using the civilians as human shields.