Islamic State Group Takes Control of Palmyra, Syria

Syrian state television announced on Wednesday, May 19, that militants from the group known as the Islamic State (ISIS) have fully captured the historic city of Palmyra after the retreat of government forces from the ancient city in central Syria. According to Reuters, Syrian state television states that government forces retreated after completely evacuating the citizens of Palmyra from the city. The news agency added that this is the first time that Islamic State forces have captured a city in direct combat with Syrian government forces. With the capture of Palmyra, concerns about the destruction of the city's archaeological sites by Islamic State militants have once again increased. According to the Associated Press, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in Britain, previously reported that ISIS militants had captured about one-third of Palmyra after intense clashes with government forces. The archaeological sites of Palmyra are part of UNESCO's World Heritage and these ancient Roman structures, which are over two thousand years old, are particularly renowned. Most of the archaeological sites are located in the southern parts of Palmyra. ISIS militants entered the city from the northern parts on Wednesday. However, their entry into the city has once again raised concerns that they may destroy the archaeological sites of Palmyra, similar to what happened in Mosul and other parts of Iraq. After the recent retreats and defeats of the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, in the past week, the militants have made advances. They have captured the city of Ramadi, the capital of the largest province in Iraq, and have advanced to Palmyra in central Syria. On Wednesday, the Iraqi government eased travel restrictions to Anbar province in the west of the country, and shortly thereafter, thousands of residents from this province, particularly from Ramadi, which has been captured by ISIS, entered Baghdad. The central government in Iraq has not yet been able to carry out a comprehensive operation to retake Ramadi. Iraqi army forces, along with Iranian-backed Shiite fighters, have been deployed around Ramadi. A member of the Ramadi city council told the Associated Press that thousands of residents of Ramadi who fled after the city was captured by ISIS had been wandering in the deserts of the region for days. Since Wednesday, they have been allowed to cross a bridge over the Euphrates River and enter Baghdad province. On Tuesday, Anbar provincial officials reported that at least five of these refugees had died due to severe exhaustion and waiting in the deserts. According to the International Organization for Migration, since the city of Ramadi was captured by ISIS on Friday, about 40,000 people from Anbar province have abandoned their homes and become displaced. Iraqi security officials were preventing the entry of refugees for fear that militants might hide among them and infiltrate Baghdad. Residents of Ramadi who remain in the city told the Associated Press that ISIS militants are using loudspeakers to tell people not to be afraid and not to leave the city. However, reports indicate that Ramadi is now facing severe shortages of food and medicine. Residents of Ramadi say that ISIS militants did not prevent people from leaving. It is still unclear when the Iraqi army's large-scale operation to retake Ramadi and other cities will begin. Iraqi government officials and leaders of Shiite armed groups known as Popular Mobilization have repeatedly stated that they need more time to identify, plan, and gather forces in these areas. Early last summer, when the widespread assault by ISIS began, the Iraqi army was in a defensive position and in many cities had to abandon their bases and leave these areas to ISIS. A few months after those events, military operations began to retake large areas that had been occupied by ISIS. Since late August, a military coalition led by the United States has also begun airstrikes against this group in Iraq and Syria.