Major ISIL gains in Syria's Ancient City of Palmyra Reported (Two Gas Fields Captured)

[KoKo]

Diana Al Rifai | 20 May 2015 16:31 GMT | War & Conflict, Middle East, Syrian crisis, ISIL

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/05/major-isil-gains-syria-palmyra-reported-150520130951786.html

Fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have advanced into Syria's ancient town of Palmyra and seized its northern parts, according to a monitoring group.

Deadly clashes continued overnight between the Syrian government and ISIL, with troops firing rockets from outside the city in an attempt to block ISIL's offensive.

ISIL launched an attack on Palmyra last week, causing material damage to residential areas while clashes left many dead and injured.

They managed to capture two gas fields, leaving at hundreds dead.

Abo Muaz, an activist in Palmyra, confirmed to Al Jazeera that ISIL had taken most of the city.

"They control almost 75 percent of the city now," he said.

"Syrian regime forces are stationed in the state security branch in the city, spread out near the military prison and airport.

"A huge number families are currently fleeing from several parts of Palmyra. Ongoing clashes have been taking place and regime war planes have not stopped bombing the city."

Palmyra is an ancient city which dates back to the 1st and 2nd century.

Located in central Homs province, it lies 210 km northeast of Damascus in desert that stretches to the Iraqi frontier to the east.

The city contains architecture of one of the most cultural centres and world heritage. The 2,000 year old world heritage site is also known as the The Pearl of the Desert.

Hundreds of statues and ancient artefacts from Palmyra's museum have already been transferred out of the city, according to Mamoun Abdulkarim, the Syrian antiquities director.

[KoKo]

1. ISIL Free Prisoners from Palmyra Jail & and Now Controls More than 50% of Syria

Islamic State militants have freed dozens of inmates from the state prison in the city of Palmyra, Syria, following the fall of the city to the militants, Syria News portal reported Thursday.

BEIRUT (Sputnik) — According to the news portal, the jihadists say they have released, among others, some 27 citizens of Lebanon, including five Christians, who spent more than 35 years in jail.

On Wednesday night, following a week of fighting, ISIL seized the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria. Palmyra is one of the most important cultural and archaeological sites in the Middle East. A majority of Palmyra's population and many of the more valuable and portable artifacts were evacuated before government forces withdrew from the city.

© AFP 2015/ JOSEPH EID

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ISIL Controls More Than 50% of Syria After Palmyra Seizure – Monitor

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), Islamic State group now controls more than 50 percent of the country of Syria.

ISIL regularly frees prisoners in cities they capture. Earlier this week it was reported that the group released some 400 inmates, including known terrorist leaders, from a prison in the Iraqi city of Ramadi.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20150521/1022411236.html#ixzz3amYqHMzO


(updated 14:53 21.05.2015)

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2. You notice they are fighting over the oil and gas fields?

We are getting well into Mad Max territory now.