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BAGHDAD: Iraq’s prime minister presided over the official reopening of the historic Al-Nuri Grand Mosque and its leaning minaret in the heart of Mosul’s Old City on Monday, eight years after the mosque was destroyed by Daesh militants.

For some 850 years, the leaning minaret of the mosque stood as an iconic landmark. The militant group destroyed the mosque by detonating explosives inside the structures as it faced defeat in a battle with Iraqi military forces for control of the city in 2017.

UNESCO, the UN’s scientific, educational and cultural organization, worked alongside Iraqi heritage and Sunni religious authorities to reconstruct the minaret using traditional techniques and materials salvaged from the rubble. UNESCO raised $115 million for the reconstruction project, with large shares coming from the UAE and the EU.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani said in a statement that the reconstruction of the mosque “will remain a milestone, reminding all enemies of the heroism of Iraqis, their defense of their land, and their rebuilding of everything destroyed by those who want to obscure the truth.”

“We will continue our support for culture, and efforts to highlight Iraqi antiquities, as a social necessity, a gateway to our country for the world, an opportunity for sustainable development, and a space for youth to innovate,” he said.

At its peak, Daesh ruled an area half the size of the UK in Iraq and Syria and was notorious for its brutality. It beheaded civilians and enslaved and raped thousands of women from the Yazidi community, one of Iraq’s oldest religious minorities.

In addition to the mosque, war-damaged churches were rebuilt as part of the reconstruction project, aiming to preserve the heritage of the city’s shrinking Christian population. Sudani said the city of Mosul embraces all of its communities and “embodies all the characteristics of Iraq’s diverse society.”

UN investigators have said that IS militants committed war crimes against Christians in Iraq, including seizing their property, engaging in sexual violence, enslavement, forced conversions and destruction of cultural and religious sites.

Most of Mosul’s small population of Christians fled when IS launched its offensive in 2014. In 2003, Mosul’s Christian population stood at around 50,000. Today, fewer than 20 Christian families remain as permanent residents in the city, although some who resettled in the semi-autonomous Kurdish area of northern Iraq still return to Mosul for church services.

The reconstruction project in Mosul could serve as a model for restoring other cultural sites in war-torn areas — including neighboring Syria, which is starting to emerge from nearly 14 years of civil war after the fall of former President Bashar Assad last year.

AMMAN: Jordan’s King Abdullah II spoke on the phone to French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday to discuss developments in Gaza, the West Bank, and broader regional issues.

The Royal Court said the king stressed the urgent need for intensified international efforts to halt the war in Gaza and guarantee the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid across the enclave, the Jordan News Agency reported.

He reiterated Jordan’s firm rejection of Israeli plans to consolidate the occupation of Gaza, expand military control there, and its continued settlement expansion in the West Bank.

King Abdullah stressed Jordan’s commitment to supporting the Palestinians in securing their legitimate rights and establishing an independent state based on the two-state solution.

He welcomed France’s declared intention to recognize the Palestinian state later this month and commended its diplomatic and humanitarian efforts to achieve peace in the region.

The two leaders also focused on the importance of supporting Syria and Lebanon in safeguarding their security, stability, and territorial integrity, Petra added.