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At least 400 killed by Isis in Palmyra, say Syrian TV reports
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Islamic State fighters have killed at least 400 people in Syria’s ancient city of Palmyra – most of them women and children – according to Syrian state TV reports.
This could be because it launched early, our rights have expired, there was a legal issue, or for another reason.
Residents inside the city said on social media that hundreds of bodies were lying in the streets after it was seized by Isis militants on Wednesday. They said they were believed to be those of government loyalists.
Related: Isis seizes Syrian military base near Palmyra as it consolidates grip on city
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The reports of the mass deaths in Palmyra came as Iraqi forces recaptured territory from advancing Isis militants near the city of Ramadi in the north of the country.
The fall of Ramadi and Palmyra, on opposite ends of the vast territory controlled by Isis, were the militant group’s biggest successes since a US-led coalition launched an air war to stop them last year.
The Gulf Cooperation Council on Sunday rejected claims that the coalition’s response was disintegrating but acknowledged more needed to be done. Speaking in Doha after a meeting between foreign ministers of the GCC and EU, Khalid al-Attiyah, Qatar’s foreign minister said: “The coalition is not failing but the air campaign is not enough.”
“There are so many steps which we have to cooperate and coordinate together. To date the campaign against terror is effective. One of them is to enhance and expedite the dialogue in Iraq, and in Syria it is to find a way out to save the Syrian people, because they have been put between the tyranny of the regime and the brutality of the terrorist,” he said.
Iraq’s government, along with Iran-backed Shia militiamen and locally recruited Sunni tribal fighters, launched a counter-offensive on Saturday, a week after losing Ramadi. A police major and a pro-government Sunni tribal fighter in the area said they had retaken the town of Husaiba al-Sharqiya, about 10 km (6 miles) east of Ramadi.
“Today we regained control over Husaiba and are laying plans to make more advances to push back Daesh fighters further,” said local tribal leader Amir al-Fahdawi, using an Arabic acronym for Isis.
Palmyra has some of the most magnificent ancient ruins from antiquity, and its fall has led to fears Isis fighters will destroy much of its cultural heritage as they have done in historic sites such as Nineveh.
Isis has not released images of any assault on Palmyra ruins. The militant group is also in control of two major gas fields near the city that supplies the power stations of western Syria.
Meanwhile, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Isis forces had shot down a Syrian military helicopter at the northern airbase of Kweiras, which has been besieged by militants for months. The observatory said one crew member was killed while the fate of the others remained unclear.
Syrian state TV quoted an unnamed military official as saying Sunday’s crash was caused by a technical problem during takeoff. The report did not say how many crew members were on board at the time of the crash.
Kweiras airbase is in the northern province of Aleppo and is close to the town of Bab, which is held by Isis.
