The Islamic State (IS) militants have bombed a Christian church in Mosul for the second time, after the first attempt resulted in only partial destruction.

As part of the insurgents attempts to Arabize Mosul at the expense of Kurds, Assyrians and Turkmen, they continued the attack on Mar Gorgis Church in Mosul on Tuesday.

Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) official from Mosul Saed Mamuzini told BasNews that it is the second time the jihadists have bombed the church.

He said that the first attempt to destroy the church was made on November 24, 2014. They failed to completely raze the building on that occasion, leading to the second explosion on Tuesday.

The head of the Assyrian Democratic Party (ADP) from Mosul, Duraid Hikma Tobiya, said that the jihadists targeted three large parts of Mar Gorgis Church on Tuesday.

He said that as the history of the church dates back to the middle of the 10th century, it is not only important for Christians, but for Muslims as well.