ISIS recaptures Palmyra in Syria after 4,000 jihadis launch devastating attack on Syrian troops
Militants take over ancient city just hours after government troops and Russian air raids pushed the group out
ISIS thugs have taken back the ancient city of Palmyra from government troops, just hours after they were pushed OUT of the city.
The jihadists fought back and attacked the city on multiple fronts, forcing Syrian soldiers to retreat and enabling the terror group to claw back the area.
Russia had earlier claimed to have repelled an IS attack on Palmyra, saying it had launched 64 airstrikes overnight that killed 300 militants.
But just hours later, ISIS seized a castle just outside the town that overlooks its 2,000 year-old Roman ruins.
Palmyra is in Syria’s largest province, Homs, which is mostly under government control and was a former tourist hotspot before the civil war broke out in 2011.
It was re-captured by the Syrian government in March after 10 months under ISIS rule before the battle begun again this month.
A British based group said the ISIS thugs fought their way into the town via several military bases, forcing government forces to retreat to the south.
The state news agency added that the terror group received reinforcements from its ‘capital’ in Raqqa, enabling them to attack in huge and unprecedented numbers.
Osama al-Khatib, of the activist-run Palmyra Coordination group, said any remaining government and allied troops were escaping from the southwestern edge of the city where the ancient ruins are as the militants go door-to-door in a bid to drive them out.
Families trapped in the war-torn city are also attempting to flee, as intensive airstrikes followed the ISIS takeover.
The dramatic reverse in events in Palmyra is just days after the city of Mosul in Iraq launched a major counter-attack and stopped them in their tracks by killing at least 20 soldiers.
The attempt to take back Mosul from the terror group is still going on, with Iraqi Special Forces entering the eastern outskirts of the city, which is ISIS’ largest base.
However, they’ve been slowed down as they try to limit civilian casualties, with hundreds of innocent families still trapped in the crossfire.
Over the last year, IS has suffered a string of defeats in both Syria and Iraq, losing several towns and cities it had captured in 2014.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter arrived in Baghdad today in a surprise visit to assess the progress of the Mosul battle.
Syrian media have also claimed that of the original 17 square miles of land held by the rebels, only 4 remain in the hands of the terror group.
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