Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi says the destruction of an ancient mosque in the city of Mosul is "an official declaration of defeat" by so-called Islamic State (IS).
Iraqi forces say IS blew up the Great Mosque of al-Nuri and its famous leaning minaret as jihadists battled to stop advancing pro-government troops.
IS said American aircraft had destroyed the complex, a claim denied by the US.
Aerial photographs show the complex largely destroyed.
The mosque, which was more than 800 years old, was where IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed a "caliphate" in 2014.
Its destruction has brought widespread condemnation.
A senior US commander in Iraq said IS had destroyed "one of Mosul and Iraq's great treasures".
"This is a crime against the people of Mosul and all of Iraq, and is an example of why this brutal organisation must be annihilated," Maj Gen Joseph Martin said.
This aerial view taken on June 21, 2017 and provided by Iraq's Joint Operation Command reportedly shows destruction inside Mosul's al-Nuri mosque compoundImage copyrightIRAQI JOINT OPERATION COMMAND
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The Iraqi military provided this image showing the destruction at the mosque compound
People walk in front of the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul, Iraq, 9 July 2014Image copyrightEPA
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The Great Mosque of al-Nuri, pictured in 2014, was famous for its leaning minaret
The Iraqi commander in charge of the offensive to retake Mosul said troops were within 50m (160ft) of the mosque when IS "committed another historical crime".
Thousands of Iraqi security forces, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, Sunni Arab tribesmen and Shia militiamen, supported by US-led coalition warplanes and military advisers, are involved in the battle to retake the key city, which was launched on 17 October last year.
The government announced the full "liberation" of eastern Mosul in January but the west of the city has presented a more difficult challenge, with its narrow, winding streets.
The al-Nuri mosque dated back to 1172 and was named after a noble who fought against the early crusaders.
The leaning minaret was nicknamed "the hunchback".
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A month after IS forces overran Mosul in June 2014, Baghdadi gave a Friday sermon from the pulpit inside the mosque and proclaimed a caliphate - a state governed in accordance with Islamic law, or Sharia, by God's deputy on Earth, or caliph.
It was his first public appearance in many years.
Image grab from propaganda video released on July 5, 2014 showing leader of IS Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi addressing worshippers at the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul.Image copyrightAFP
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IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed a "caliphate" in the mosque
On Sunday, commanders announced the start of the "final chapter" of the offensive, with Iraq's counter-terrorism service, army and federal police attacking the Old City from all directions.
The army said it believed there were no more than 300 militants left in Mosul, compared with almost 6,000 at the start of the offensive in October.
Earlier this week aircraft dropped leaflets urging civilians to avoid open spaces and to take any opportunity to escape.
The UN has warned that IS may be holding more than 100,000 people in Mosul as human shields.
