"Islamic State" retreated from Palmyra

The Syrian army pushed the Islamic State militants out of the ancient city of Palmyra, part of which the Islamists occupied on May 16. Ancient monuments included in the UNESCO World Heritage List were not damaged.

The Syrians have fully regained control of the city, but the Islamic State still occupies a village north of Palmyra.

Palmyra is an important strategic point, as it is located at the intersection of roads leading to Homs and Damascus (English).

Reuters

• Palmyra is located about 240 kilometers from Damascus. The first mention of the city dates back to the second millennium BC. Palmyra reached its heyday in the 1st-3rd centuries AD, when it was part of the Roman province of Syria. The city has preserved numerous historical monuments and entire architectural ensembles discovered during excavations that have been going on since the beginning of the 20th century.
• In early March 2015, Islamic State militants destroyed the ruins of the ancient city of Nimrud in northern Iraq. In late February, Islamists released a video showing them destroying ancient monuments in the Iraqi city of Mosul. In addition, the Islamists blew up the Mosul library and burned about 10,000 books.