Eid prayers return to Mosul mosque ruined in Islamic State war

People attend Eid al-Fitr prayer marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, at the oldest Al-Masfi mosque, which was damaged during the war against Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq May 13, 2021. REUTERS/Abdullah Rashid

MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - As dawn broke over Mosul on Thursday, worshippers knelt between piles of rubble while Eid al-Fitr prayers took place in the city's oldest mosque for the first time since Islamic State was driven out of the area in 2017.

Groups of men entered silently and sat down to listen to Koranic recitals in the building, which dates back to the Umayyad period in the 7th century and remains largely in ruins following heavy fighting in Mosul's Old City.