So-called Islamic State (IS) has blown up the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul, Iraqi forces say.
The historic landmark was where IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed a "caliphate" in 2014.
However, IS claims that US aircraft destroyed the mosque, in a statement issued by its news outlet Amaq.
The Iraqi commander in charge of the offensive to retake Mosul said troops were within 50m of the mosque when IS "committed another historical crime".
The jihadists have destroyed a string of important heritage sites in Iraq and Syria.
The UN says IS may be holding more than 100,000 people in Mosul as human shields.
Thousands of Iraqi security forces, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, Sunni Arab tribesmen and Shia militiamen, assisted by US-led coalition warplanes and military advisers, are involved in the offensive against IS, which was launched on 17 October 2016.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-40361857