REUTERS - Islamic State
militants and Syria's Russian-backed army fought over the ancient Syrian city
of Palmyra on Sunday, with both sides claiming the upper hand.
Russia said its jets
had helped force the militants out of the city center overnight, and its allies
in the Syrian army were now fighting off another assault by the hardline
Islamists.
But a news agency
linked to Islamic State said it had only briefly retreated and was now back in
control of Palmyra, an account backed by the British-based Syrian Observatory
for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict.
Palmyra, the site of
a Roman-era city and spectacular ruins in the center of Syria, has become an
emblematic battleground in a civil war now in its sixth year.
Forces allied to
Syria's government first recaptured the city from Islamic State in March, a
victory held up as a major turning point in the war and the biggest reversal
for the militants since Russia's intervention on the side of the government.
But Islamic State
militants launched a surprise advance on the city on Thursday, taking control
of nearby oil and gas fields, and pushing towards an airbase used by Russian
forces, the Observatory said.
Russia's Defence
Ministry said its jets had launched 64 strikes and killed more than 300
militants overnight, helping the Syrian army push the main force back.
More than 4,000
Islamic State militants had since regrouped and launched a second attack on
Sunday, Russian news agencies cited Russia's monitoring center in Syria as
saying.
"Despite heavy
losses in manpower and equipment, the terrorists are trying as hard as possible
to secure a foothold inside the city," Interfax quoted a statement from
the center as saying. "Syrian troops are fighting to defend Palmyra."
Syria's army
acknowledged there was a large offensive by the militants from several fronts
near a major grain silo 10 km (6 miles) east of the city.
An Islamic State
recapture of Palmyra would be a major reversal for Syria's government and its
Russian backer which hailed the city's capture in March, sent troops to protect
it and even staged a concert there.
The fight could also
have implications for other battlegrounds in Syria.
The Syrian army said
on Saturday it had sent reinforcements to Palmyra to help defend it. Some of
those were diverted from Aleppo, a rebel from the countryside outside that
northern city said, a development that could ease pressure on rebels there.
REUTERS
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