A shrine in the Iraqi city of Mosul is often thought to be the burial place of the biblical prophet Jonah.
And this — though unverified and posted to YouTube — is thought to be footage of that shrine being blown up by Sunni Islamist militants Thursday.
Jonah is the prophet who in both the Bible and the Quran was swallowed by a fish. The fact his tomb may have been destroyed is being widely reported, but again, no one has independently confirmed the footage. Instead, reports are citing "residents in the city" and unnamed "civil defense officials."
That last one is how CNN described its source, going on to suggest validity of the report by pointing out that ISIS militants have recently destroyed both Sunni and Shia holy sites in the northern Iraqi city.
But if true — this shrine's destruction would represent one of the group's biggest and most well-known targets.
The militant group now goes simply by the name the "Islamic State." It's been imposing strict Sharia law in the parts of Iraq it now controls. (Via BBC)
The group is blamed for driving out Mosul's Christians after issuing what observers called a "convert or die" edict — that's convert to Islam or be killed. (Via Christian Post)
But it's difficult to verify reports of incidents blamed on ISIS.
Case in point: A series of reports that the group was imposing female genital mutilation now appear to be false — propaganda against the group. (Via Slate)
ISIS is trying to establish a caliphate — an Islamic state governed by Sharia law.
