The tomb of Iraq's late dictator Saddam Hussein has reportedly been almost completely levelled in fighting near Tikrit.
Footage filmed by the AP news agency shows that all that remains standing of the mausoleum in the village of Al-Awja are some pillars.
Iraqi government forces and Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia fighters have been battling to drive Islamic State (IS) militants from Tikrit.
Iraqi officials said the IS militants were surrounded on all sides and trapped within a few districts of the city center.
But Interior Minister Muhammad Salim al-Ghabban said on March 16 that the offensive will be on hold until civilians in Hussein's hometown can flee and roadside bombs can be cleared.
The militants have slowed the assault against them using snipers, booby traps, and thousands of bombs planted across the city.
