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| Islamic State 'closes in' on Syria's Palmyra | |
| (36 minutes later) | |
| Islamic State militants are reported to have seized a third of the Syrian town next to Palmyra, one of the Middle East's greatest archaeological sites. | |
| Activists said IS had overrun much of the north of Tadmur after fierce clashes with government forces. | Activists said IS had overrun much of the north of Tadmur after fierce clashes with government forces. |
| Pro-government militia have been evacuating citizens, Syrian state media reported. | |
| Syria's head of antiquities said the world had a responsibility to save Palmyra, a Unesco World Heritage site. | Syria's head of antiquities said the world had a responsibility to save Palmyra, a Unesco World Heritage site. |
| Hundreds of statues had been moved to safety, but large monuments could not be moved, Maamoun Abdul Karim warned. | Hundreds of statues had been moved to safety, but large monuments could not be moved, Maamoun Abdul Karim warned. |
| IS militants have ransacked and demolished several ancient sites that pre-date Islam in Iraq, including Hatra and Nimrud, leading to fears that it might attempt to damage or destroy Palmyra. | IS militants have ransacked and demolished several ancient sites that pre-date Islam in Iraq, including Hatra and Nimrud, leading to fears that it might attempt to damage or destroy Palmyra. |
| What the loss of Palmyra would mean for the world | What the loss of Palmyra would mean for the world |
| On Wednesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, said a third of Tadmur had been taken by IS after battles with government soldiers and allied militiamen. | On Wednesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, said a third of Tadmur had been taken by IS after battles with government soldiers and allied militiamen. |
| "People are very afraid of what will happen, because IS has the capability to get to the heart of Palmyra," an activist in the town told the AFP news agency. | "People are very afraid of what will happen, because IS has the capability to get to the heart of Palmyra," an activist in the town told the AFP news agency. |
| Rising out of the desert and flanked by an oasis, Palmyra contains the monumental ruins of a great city that was one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world, according to Unesco, the UN's cultural agency. | |
| The site, most of which dates back to the 1st to the 2nd Century when the region was under Roman rule, is dominated by a grand, colonnaded street. | The site, most of which dates back to the 1st to the 2nd Century when the region was under Roman rule, is dominated by a grand, colonnaded street. |
| Unesco's Director-General Irina Bokova said she was "deeply concerned" by the situation. | |
| "The fighting is putting at risk one of the most significant sites in the Middle East, and its civilian population," she said in a statement. | |
| Palmyra and Tadmur are situated in a strategically important area on the road between the capital, Damascus and the contested eastern city of Deir al-Zour, and close to gas fields. | Palmyra and Tadmur are situated in a strategically important area on the road between the capital, Damascus and the contested eastern city of Deir al-Zour, and close to gas fields. |
| Taking control of the area would therefore be an important strategic gain for IS, says BBC Arab affairs analyst, Sebastian Usher. | |
| But the world's focus is on the ruins and IS has luxuriated in devastating and destroying similarly priceless, pre-Islamic archaeological treasures in Iraq, condemning them as idolatrous, he adds. | But the world's focus is on the ruins and IS has luxuriated in devastating and destroying similarly priceless, pre-Islamic archaeological treasures in Iraq, condemning them as idolatrous, he adds. |
| A US-led coalition has carried out air strikes on the jihadist group's positions since September 2014. However, it says it does not co-ordinate its actions with the Syrian government. | A US-led coalition has carried out air strikes on the jihadist group's positions since September 2014. However, it says it does not co-ordinate its actions with the Syrian government. |