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June 30, 2017

Iraqi Army Claims Victory over So-Called Islamic Caliphate in Mosul
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Iraq's army on Thursday declared an end to the so-called Islamic
caliphate, as the U.S.-backed coalition captured the ruins of the Grand
al-Nuri Mosque in Mosul from ISIS. The mosque was the site where ISIS
leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the caliphate in 2014. Its capture
came as Iranian media reported Baghdadi is "definitely dead." That
follows Russian reports last month that Baghdadi died in a Russian
airstrike in Syria. Meanwhile, heavy fighting continues in parts of
Mosul, where tens of thousands remain trapped in the Old City with
little access to food, water and medicine. The journalistic monitoring
group Airwars reports at least 80 civilians were killed Thursday after
shelling and airstrikes hit their houses around the Grand al-Nuri
Mosque. That follows reports that a family of five was killed and a
4-year-old boy was severely injured in an airstrike by the U.S.-led
coalition on Tuesday.