Islam Times - Army readying to liberate Palmyra from ISIL control: TV

Islam Times - Syrian Army forces are reportedly preparing to fully liberate the ancient city of Palmyra, located in the country’s west, from the clutches of the ISIL Takfiri terrorist group.

The Lebanon-based al-Mayadin television reported on Monday that the Army and popular forces have made some advances around Palmyra.

The Army forces were now only five kilometers away from the city, readying to fully liberate it from the terrorists’ control.

On May 21, ISIL terrorists overran Palmyra, which is an ancient city on the list of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s World Heritage sites and is situated about 215 kilometers northeast of the Syrian capital, Damascus. The occupation promptly raised fears that the terrorists would once more destroy historical world heritage sites and artifacts there, like what they did months ago in the city of Mosul, Iraq.

The television reported that the Syrian Army had also neutralized an attack by the ISIL against Tal (Hill) Sheikh Khattab in Idlib province, situated likewise in western Syria, killing tens of the terrorists, among them some Chechens.

Syria has been battling foreign-sponsored militancy since March 2011. The violence fueled by Takfiri terrorist groups has so far left over 230,000 people dead.