Mosul celebrates its first religious holiday without ISIS in three years
Millions of Muslims around the world are taking part in Eid prayers as the war-torn Iraqi city of Mosul celebrates its first religious holiday without ISIS in three years, according to the Daily Mail.
Worshippers gathered en masse in countries including Pakistan, India, China, Nepal and Iran for the Eid al-Fitr festival, which marks the end of Islam's holy month of Ramadan.
The Arabic name translates to 'festival of the breaking of the fast' in English. The start of Eid is dependent on the sighting of the moon and is usually marked by early morning prayers, followed by family gatherings and feasting.
While it is an annual event for most Muslims, people in Mosul have been able to celebrate their first Eid holiday without ISIS for three years after militants were finally ejected from much of the city.
Children gathered in squares on the eastern side of the city. Some played on old swings and others with toy guns and rifles, which were among the toys allowed by ISIS fanatics after they took over the city in June 2014.
But for many, Sunday's Eid celebrations were overshadowed by the destruction of their historic leaning minaret, blown up by the militants on Wednesday, and fears for thousands of civilians trapped in the Old City in western Mosul still under Islamic State control.
“It won't be real Eid before we return home,” said a man in his sixties, displaced from the western side of the city, across the Tigris river, where fighting continues.
Some expressed sadness over the destruction of the 850-year-old Grand al-Nuri mosque and its leaning 150-foot minaret.
“Eid is not the same,” said a man who declined to give his name as fear is still present even though Iraqi forces dislodged the insurgents from the eastern part of the city months ago.
Iraqi forces took the eastern side from ISIS in January, after 100 days of fighting, and started attacking the western side in February. The militants are now besieged in Mosul's Old City.
“As our heroic forces are closer to declaring final victory over the Daesh (ISIS) gangs, I offer my most sincere congratulations for Eid al-Fitr,” Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a statement.
A US-led international coalition is providing air and ground support in the eight-month-old offensive to drive the militants from their de facto capital in Iraq.
About 350 ISIS fighters, most of them non-Iraqis, are defending their remaining stronghold in Mosul's densely populated Old City, an Iraqi general said on Sunday. He expected the battle for the city to end in days.
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