Why is Palmyra, Syria, so important?

How the fight against ISIS is a battle on two fronts

Militants fortify grip on Palmyra, one of the Mideast’s most renowned sites
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Islamic State at the gates of Palmyra
View Photos Reports indicate that militants are positioned near a famous Roman-era city in Syria.
By Loveday Morris May 21
BAGHDAD — Islamic State militants tightened their hold on the Syrian city of Palmyra on Thursday, dumping decapitated bodies of suspected opponents in the streets and blaring calls from mosque loudspeakers for residents to turn in government soldiers.

The militants’ capture of Palmyra, about 130 miles northeast of the Syrian capital, has raised global alarm about the fate of the ancient ruins in the city, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It also subjected yet another urban population to the harsh rule of the Islamist extremists, activists said, explaining that tens of thousands of people remained in the city — despite government claims that its fighters had enabled citizens to evacuate before the soldiers retreated.

The militants’ advance came just days after the Islamic State seized the key Iraqi city of Ramadi, undermining U.S. assertions that the group is largely on the defensive after months of airstrikes by an international coalition. While the Iraqi government has vowed to take back Ramadi, Islamic State militants continued to gain ground east of the city on Thursday.

The jihadists’ new gains mark a significant propaganda victory for Islamic State, and a blow to a U.S.-backed military campaign that had seemed to be making progress with Iraqi forces’ success last month in pushing the extremist fighters out of the city of Tikrit.

President Obama said in an interview published Thursday that the United States has to “ramp up not just training, but also commitment” to the pro-government forces fighting in Iraq. The Pentagon announced it would rush 2,000 anti-tank weapons to Iraqi forces.

Islamic State seizes Palmyra in Syrian advance(1:27)
The Islamic State says it has taken full control Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Syria, just days after capturing Ramadi, a provincial capital in Iraq. (Reuters)
In Syria, the Islamic State’s latest gains give the al-Qaeda offshoot, which is also known as ISIS or ISIL, control of a key route to the capital, Damascus, while cutting supply lines to beleaguered Syrian forces farther east in Deir al-Zour province.

The advances also consolidate the group’s control along the border with Iraq, where its fighters on Thursday seized the only crossing point they did not control after government forces pulled out of al-Tanf, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Palmyra’s fall marks the first time that Islamic State forces have seized a major population center directly from the Syrian government. Previous advances came against rebel groups.

In Washington, White House spokesman Josh Earnest acknowledged Thursday that the capture of Palmyra was a “setback” for the U.S.-led coalition fighting the extremists. But, even as the administration came under harsh criticism from Republicans, the spokesman said Obama was not planning any major military deployment to Iraq or Syria.

In a statement released on affiliated social media sites Thursday, the Islamic State said it had taken complete control of Palmyra, including its notorious prison and military airport. Pro-government forces “collapsed and fled,” it said.