Fight against ISIL: Syrian government reclaims city of Palmyra

Islamic Extremism

The Syrian government has reclaimed the historic city of Palmyra to fight against ISIL.

CCTV’s Alaa Ebharim reports from Palmyra.

Palmyra, the celebrated city which spent ten months under the rule of ISIL, can now welcome guests once again. The Syrian army pushed ISIL fighters out of the region.

Its historic landmarks seem to have survived an ordeal. The city’s main temple was destroyed but its majestic columns survived and the worst days seems to be behind one of the world’s best preserved archaeological sites.

But the rest of the city and its modern parts didn’t share the same luck. Once home to over 50,000, it has been reduced to less than 10,000 under ISIL. Unwavering clashes have rendered many houses useless.

The city is still littered with an abundance of explosive devices, planted everywhere by the radical militants hoping to make the Syrian army’s gains more costly. ISIL graffiti with a chilling message ‘the Caliphate state is coming to slaughter you’ can be seen. 

Palmyra sits on a vital intersection in the Middle East, located between Damascus and the borders with Iraq. It is near the oil rich city of Deir Azzour and ISIL’s self-proclaimed capital in Araqqa.   

But victory came with a price tag; charred vehicles along the way tell the story of the cut-throat clashes that took place to get to the city.