Iraqis flee from the Old City of Mosul on June 21, 2017, during the ongoing offensive by Iraqi forces to retake the last district still held by the Islamic State. Pic/AFP

Islamic State militants on Wednesday blew up the Grand al-Nuri Mosque of Mosul and its famous leaning minaret, Iraq's military said in a statement, as Iraqi forces seeking to expel the group from the city closed in on the site.