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ISIL reportedly uses ruins as airstrike shield
The Islamic State militant group is reportedly building a stronghold at ancient ruins in the suburbs of the central Syrian city of Palmyra. The ruins are designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Islamic State fighters took total control of Palmyra by Thursday morning after a fierce offensive caused government forces to retreat from the area.
The famous ruins located in the city’s southwest have an ancient temple, theater, and large monuments dating back 2,000 years.
A British human rights monitoring group says militants are already inside the historic ruins. Government forces continued airstrikes on several points in the city on Thursday.
The head of the group says Islamic State fighters are trying to use the ruins as shields to protect themselves from airstrikes and shelling as they think the government will not target historic ruins.
Islamic State group militants have repeatedly destroyed old ruins including World Heritage sites in northern Iraq, calling them idol worship.
UNESCO is urging both militants and the government to suspend the fighting immediately.
