Sunni extremists destroy holy sites in Iraq

Followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr attend open-air Friday prayers in the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq, on Friday.

Images posted online show that Islamic extremists have destroyed at least 10 ancient shrines and Shiite mosques in territory they have seized in northern Iraq in recent weeks.

The photographs, on a website that frequently carries official statements from the Islamic State extremist group, document the destruction in the city of Mosul and the town of Tal Afar.

Some of the photos show bulldozers ploughing through walls, while others show explosives demolishing the buildings in a cloud of smoke and rubble.

Residents from both Mosul and Tal Afar confirmed the destruction of the sites.

Sunni extremists consider Shiites Muslims heretics, and the veneration of saints apostasy.