Battle for Palmyra: ISIS Close to Losing Town to Syrian Army

Palmyra’s ancient Roman temples, blown up by ISIS fighters last year, will be restored once Syria recaptures the city

File photo of Syrian government soldiers taking positions near the entrance of Palmyra town. (Photo: AP)

Syrian troops and allied militiamen, backed by Russian airstrikes, have seized three neighbourhoods inside Palmyra, according to Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group. The town is famed for Roman-era ruins that fell to terror outfit ISIS last May.

Palmyra’s ancient Roman temples and archway will be restored, once Syria recaptures the city, the head of the antiquities authority said on Saturday.

ISIS drove out government forces in a matter of days and later demolished some of the best-known monuments in the UNESCO world heritage site. The group believes ancient ruins promote idolatry.

This undated file image released by UNESCO shows the site of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria. (Photo: AP)

Retaking Town Would Be a Major Victory for Assad

Retaking the town would be a major victory for President Bashar Assad’s government and its allies. The government has made steady gains in the recent months against ISIS and other insurgents.

Visuals broadcast on Lebanese stations, aligned with the Syrian government, showed smoke rising over Palmyra’s skyline, as tanks and helicopters fired at positions inside the town.

The Battle for Palmyra

Syrian government soldiers gather outside a damaged palace, in Palmyra. (Photo: AP)

Government forces lost at least 18 soldiers on Friday alone, including a major general, the Observatory and IS-affiliated media sites reported. Another 10 soldiers were killed Saturday.

Activists, citing sources among advancing government forces, said the two sides were fighting over the area. But the Observatory said that government forces had successfully conquered the site.