ISIS destroys portions of Roman amphitheatre in the ancient city of Palmyra

ISIS militants have destroyed part of the Roman amphitheatre in the ancient city of Palmyra. As indicated by Syria's antiquities chief, the tetrapylon - a group of four pillared structures which were mainly modern replicas - have also been ruined.
The jihadists had recaptured the UNESCO-listed archaeological site in December from government troops and had destroyed other monuments after it first seized Palmyra in May 2015. ISIS had held the site and nearby city known locally as Tadmur for 10 months.
This has been reported in bbc.com dated 20 January 2017.

ISIS had been forced out by a Russian-backed government offensive in March 2016, but they regained control when the pro-government forces where focused on battling for the city of Aleppo late last year. Reports of the destruction had initially come out of Palmyra late in December, and subsequently, satellite images have confirmed the destruction.
It seems only two of the tetrapylon's columns remain, and from all appearances, the monument has been intentionally destroyed by the use of explosives. Only one of the structure's columns is original, the others had been rebuilt in 1963.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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ISIS driven out from Palmyra by Syrian forces backed by Russian airstrikes

Palmyra is finally freed from the clutches of ISIS by Syrian forces backed by Russian airstrikes - this has been announced by the state media and an opposition monitoring group. Government forces had been on the offensive for nearly three weeks trying to recapture the town that had been captured by ISIS in May and this recapturing brings to an end the reign of terror over a town whose famous 2,000-year-old ruins used to once attract tens of thousands of visitors.
Palmyra used to be affectionately known as the "Bride of the Desert" and was a UNESCO world heritage site.
This has been reported in foxnews.com dated 27 March 2016.

The retaking of Palmyra by Syrian forces marks the latest setback suffered by ISIS - it is coming under mounting pressure on several fronts in Iraq and Syria. Syrian troops are now dismantling explosive booby traps that had been planted by ISIS militants.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has confirmed that the Islamic State lost the town and have added that at least 400 extremists have been killed. Some fighters had withdrawn from Palmyra and moved out toward the town of Sukhna and other areas in the Homs province. SOHM has added that this was the heaviest losses sustained by ISIS in a single battle since its creation.
Russia's defense minister has indicated that Russian jets conducted 40 air sorties near Palmyra and hit 158 targets killing over 100 militants.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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ISIS lays mines at ancient historical site of Palmyra

#ISIS #Palmyra #SOHR #UNESCOHeritage The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has indicated that the ISIS militants is on a destruction spree and has laid explosives and land mines at the ruins of Palmyra in Syria. This has raised apprehensions that they would destroy the ancient heritage site and thousands of years of history would be lost forever.
This has been reported in foxnews.com dated 22 June 2015.

Palmyra had been overrun by ISIS fighters last month and there are genuine fears that they would try to destroy the city as they have already done with other heritage sites and smashed ancient artifacts in the museums of Iraq and Syria.
Palmyra is a UNESCO World Heritage site and thousands of visitors flock there to see for themselves the intricate works of art and architecture. That was before the start of Syria's bloody civil war.
Palmyra is renowned for its well-preserved statues, tombs, and columns, and was an active archeological site before the war. It is believed that the ISIS takes away many priceless items to finance their vicious activities of destruction and murders.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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