
Iraqi forces battling Islamic State in Mosul have unveiled the destruction left behind by the jihadis who levelled one of the city's most well-known Muslim shrines.

ISIS destroyed the Nabi Yunus shrine and mosque - built on the reputed burial site of a prophet known in the Koran as Yunis and in the Bible as Jonah - which was a popular pilgrimage site.

In July 2014, weeks after overrunning Mosul and much of Iraq's Sunni Arab heartland, ISIS militants rigged the shrine and blew it up, sparking global outrage and especially within the local Muslim community.

The terror group destroyed several other key landmarks in Mosul and elsewhere because they considered the worshipping of shrines not to be in keeping with their Islamic traditions.

The remains of the Tomb of the Prophet Yunus, destroyed by Islamic State militants, in Mosul, Iraq, January 28, 2017

People inspect the destroyed Mosque of The Prophet Younis, or Jonah, in Mosul, Iraq

'We retook control of Nabi Yunus area... raised the Iraqi flag above the tomb,' said Sabah al-Noman, spokesman for the Counter-Terrorism Service spearheading the Mosul offensive

ISIS destroyed the Nabi Yunus shrine and mosque - built on the reputed burial site of a prophet known in the Koran as Yunus and in the Bible as Jonah - which was a popular pilgrimage site

Children are seen at Mosque of the Prophet Yunus after it has been rescued from ISIS by Iraqi Army in Mosul, Iraq

ISIS militants believe giving special veneration to tombs and relics is against the teachings of Islam.

'We retook control of Nabi Yunus area... raised the Iraqi flag above the tomb,' said Sabah al-Noman, spokesman for the Counter-Terrorism Service spearheading the Mosul offensive.

He said two other neighbourhoods in eastern Mosul were also retaken from ISIS on Monday.

Staff Lieutenant General Abdulghani al-Assadi, a top commander in the CTS, said 'about 90 percent' of east Mosul was now under government control.

Commanders have said it would only take a few more days to flush out the last jihadists remaining on the east bank of the Tigris River than splits the city in two.

The destruction of all bridges over the river in air strikes has made it difficult for IS fighters in east Mosul to resupply or escape to the west bank, which they still fully control.

The western side of Mosul, which is home to the old city and some of the jihadists' traditional bastions, was always tipped as likely to offer the most resistance.

ISIS militants believe giving special veneration to tombs and relics is against the teachings of Islam, so they wrecked the tomb

In July 2014, weeks after overrunning Mosul and much of Iraq's Sunni Arab heartland, ISIS militants rigged the shrine and blew it up, sparking global outrage and especially within the local Muslim community

Iraqi soldiers inspect the remains of the Tomb of Prophet Yunus, which was completely destroyed by Islamic State terrorists

The terror group destroyed several other key landmarks in Mosul, including this one - the Nabi Yunus shrine and mosque

Iraqi troops at the site of the destruction, which was caused because ISIS considered the worshipping of shrines not to be in keeping with their Islamic traditions

Commanders have said it would only take a few more days to flush out the last jihadists remaining on the east bank of the Tigris River than splits the city in two as soldiers walk past the debris