BEIRUT – Islamic State militants recaptured the
ancient city of Palmyra from Syrian troops Sunday, according to both sides in
the battle, scoring a major advance after a
year of setbacks in Syria and
neighboring Iraq.
In winning back
Palmyra, the extremist group appeared to be taking advantage of the Syrian and
Russian preoccupation with Aleppo, timing its attack to coincide with a major
government offensive to capture the last remaining opposition-held
neighborhoods in the northern city.
Palmyra, with its
towering 2,000-year-old ruins, holds mostly symbolic meaning in the wider civil
war, although its location in central Syria also gives it some strategic
significance.
Islamic State
militants re-entered the city Saturday for the first time since they were
expelled by Syrian and Russian forces amid much fanfare nine months ago. The
government's first important win against the Islamic State group in the
historic city gave Damascus the chance to try to position itself as part of the
global anti-terrorism campaign.
The militants had
spent 10 months in Palmyra, during which they blew up a number of temples and
caused other destruction — severing the heads of statues and partially damaging
two temples and famous arch.
Maamoun Abdulkarim,
Syria's official for antiquities and museums, said his department had
transferred the contents of Palmyra's museum to Damascus, but that he still
worries about the safety of the ruins from the IS militants.
"I fear they
will be more vengeful," Abdulkarim told The Associated Press.
Palmyra was a major
tourist attraction before Syria's civil war began in 2011.
Sunday's takeover
came hours after government troops and Russian air raids pushed the group out
the city's perimeter. IS militants later regrouped and attacked from multiple
sides, forcing government troops to retreat.
The militants went
door to door, looking for any remaining forces loyal to President Bashar Assad,
opposition activists in the city said.
Homs provincial Gov.
Talal Barazi told the pan-Arab Mayadeen news channel that the IS attack on
Palmyra is a "desperate" reaction to the Syrian government's recent
military "victories."
Scores of Syrian
troops reportedly have been killed in fighting around Palmyra in recent days.
While a distraction from the battle for Aleppo, it is unlikely to affect the
government's final push on the last rebel-held neighborhoods in the northern
city. By Sunday evening, there was no sign the army was shifting significant
resources from Aleppo.
The government and
its allies reportedly have mobilized some 40,000 fighters for Aleppo.
"I don't think
the regime would withdraw forces from Aleppo to Palmyra and risk losing
Aleppo," said Rami Abdurrahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights, an opposition monitoring group. "I think the regime's
priority now is to finish the battle for Aleppo before the end of the month for
sure. As for Palmyra, the whole international community would stand by it
against IS."
In the last year, IS
has suffered defeats in both Syria and Iraq, losing several towns and cities it
had captured in 2014.
It is now under
attack in Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city and the last major urban center it
controls in the country. Since the Mosul offensive began nearly two months ago,
Iraqi and U.S.-led coalition forces have killed or gravely wounded more than
2,000 IS fighters, said Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the top U.S. commander in
Iraq. He made his remarks at a news conference with U.S. Defense Secretary Ash
Carter at Qayara air base in Iraq.
On Saturday, Carter
announced he is sending another 200 troops to Syria to train and advise local
fighters combatting IS. There are already 300 U.S. troops authorized for the
Syria effort, and some 5,000 in Iraq.
A Kurdish-led Syrian
force, backed by the U.S., is also pushing toward Raqqa, the group's de-facto
capital in Syria, from the north. Meanwhile, Turkey is backing Syrian
opposition fighters who have reached the outskirts of al-Bab, the IS stronghold
in northern Syria.
In going for
Palmyra, IS picked a soft target to demonstrate that it retains the ability to
carry out large attacks despite its battlefield losses.
Mohammed Hassan
al-Homsi, who runs the Palmyra News Network, said IS was steering away from
northern Syria, where Turkey and the anti-IS international coalition have
focused their fight. The militants are eyeing new territory, and they chose
Palmyra for its desert terrain linked to Iraq and its surrounding oil and gas
fields, al-Homsi said.
The state news agency
SANA, quoting an unidentified military official, reported that the militant
group received reinforcements from Raqqa.
Russia's Defense
Ministry put some of the blame on the coalition, saying it had scaled down its
operation against Raqqa and allowed thousands of IS fighters to escape Mosul.
The ministry said more than 4,000 militants have been deployed for the Palmyra
takeover, implying those attacking the city recently had left Mosul.
The Observatory and
the Palmyra Coordination group said IS militants used a multipronged assault,
forcing government forces to retreat south. A map distributed by the
Observatory shows the IS-controlled areas extend east, south and north of
Palmyra. They encompass a number of strategic hills around the city and expand
the group's presence in rural parts of Homs province, Syria's largest, which is
mostly under government control.
Osama al-Khatib of
the activist-run Palmyra Coordination group, which keeps in touch with
residents, said remaining government and allied troops were escaping from the
southwestern edge of the city, where the ancient ruins are. The few remaining
families also are trying to leave, he said.
Al-Homsi's Palmyra
News Network said intense airstrikes followed the IS takeover. The group said
IS fired on fleeing civilian.
In a video by the
IS-linked Aamaq news agency, IS fighters were shown roaming a main square that
appeared deserted below the citadel that overlooks the ruins and the Palmyra
Museum.
Russia had earlier
said it repelled an IS attack, launching 64 airstrikes overnight that killed
300 militants. But hours later, the activists said IS had seized a castle just
outside the town that overlooks its famed Roman-era ruins.
Expelling the IS
militants last year was seen as a major triumph for Assad's forces, which
previously had little success against the extremists.
The government and
its Russian allies have since focused on the opposition in Damascus and Aleppo.
After tightening the siege on eastern Aleppo, government and allied troops have
been steadily carving into the rebel-held enclave since late November.
Of the original 17
square miles of rebel-held area, only 4 square miles remain in opposition
hands, Syrian media said.
FOX NEWS
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