ISIS dug up grave of Prophet Younis in Mosul

On Friday a local Nineveh official, Zuhair al-Chalabi said that there is information that almost certainly confirms that members of the organization of the Islamic state in Iraq and the Levant dug up the grave of the Prophet Younis in the east of Mosul.

Al-Chalabi said in an interview for IraqiNews.com, that “The elements of ISIL controlled the mosque of the Prophet Younis in Mosul since they invaded the city. It is still held by them until now,” pointing out that “elements of ISIL engaged in the process of tampering with the contents of the Mosque.”

Al-Chalabi added that “there is almost certain information stating the fact that the elements of ISIL dug up the grave of the Prophet Younis.”

In just one day, ISIL members committed a series of horrific crimes which illustrate their hostile nature, said Iraqi police in Ninawa spokesman Maj. Ahmed al-Obaidi.

“They torched 11 churches and monasteries out of 35 scattered across the city of Mosul, and hours later destroyed statues of poets, literary and historical figures of which Mosul has long been proud,” he said.

Three Sunni clerics were killed at the hands of ISIL gunmen in different parts of Mosul, he added.

The clerics, named Khattab Hassan, 43, Riyadh al-Wandi, 39, and Abdul Ghafoor Salman, 48, had called on local residents to reject the ISIL and had refused to leave the city, al-Obaidi said.

The gunmen then demolished the historic grave of the prophet Yunus (Jonah) and the shrine of prophet Shayth (Seth), revered by Muslims, Christians and Jews alike, which are located inside centuries-old mosques, he said.

ISIL elements have committed numerous crimes in Mosul in addition to the attacks on places of worship, setting fire to government buildings and violating the civil liberties of city residents, al-Obaidi said.

Father Sabah Boutros of St. George’s Church in Baghdad said to IraqiNews.com that the repercussions of these crimes will not affect the brotherly ties between the Muslims and Christians of Nineveh

“We have lived with our Muslim brothers in Nineveh for centuries in peace and harmony and never exchanged violence on any day,” Boutros said. “On the contrary, our joys were mutual, and so were our griefs.”

Boutros said the recent attacks on religious sites and properties do not represent Muslims and only represent the ISIL “as it launches its terrorist attacks on all without exception”.

Source: Iraqi News