Mosul celebrates first Eid without ISIL since 2014

People in the Iraqi city of Mosul celebrated their first Muslim Eid holiday without ISIL in years on Sunday after the militants were ejected from much of the city, and hoped the battle to recapture the remaining area would soon be over.

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 ISIL militants after they took over the city in June 2014.

Children in Mosul celebrate the festival of Eid.

The militants implemented an extreme version of Islam which associated toys with a face, like dolls, with idolatry. They encouraged youngsters to train on weapons and changed text books to reflect their military ideology. Children were asked to add up bombs or bullets in maths exercises.

Eid prayers were allowed under ISIL but festivities were not.

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 ISIL control.

The famous Grand al-Nuri mosque in Mosul was destroyed by ISIL on June 21 in the Battle of Mosul.

Some expressed sadness over the destruction of the 850-year-old Grand al-Nuri mosque and its leaning 150-foot (45-meter) minaret.

(CGTN)