Islamic State seizes part of ancient town of Palmyra in Syria

Islamic State militants seized parts of the ancient town of Palmyra in central Syria on Wednesday after fierce clashes with government troops, renewing fears the extremist group would destroy the priceless archaeological site if it reaches the ruins. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the militants gained control of as much as a third of the town in heavy clashes during the day. Palmyra is home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is famous for its 2,000-year-old majestic Roman colonnades. The majority of the ruins are located in Palmyra’s south, and the militants entered Wednesday from the north after seizing the state security building from government forces.

Hundreds and hundreds of statues we were worried would be smashed and sold are all now in safe places. The fear is for the museum and the large monuments that cannot be moved.

Maamoun Abdulkarim, Syria’s antiquities chief

Residents said IS fighters were not preventing anyone from leaving the city. It is still not known when the expected wide-scale operation to recapture Ramadi and other cities will start. Baghdad officials and leaders of the so-called Popular Mobilization Units, which consists of a number of Shiite militias who are fighting on the side of the Iraqi military and security forces, have repeatedly said they need time for a military buildup and reconnaissance.

Middle East