<div>The Islamic State (IS) militants have executed at least 17 people since they took control over the ancient city of Palmyra on Wednesday, a monitor group said on Thursday.<br /><br />Some of the slain people were government forces along with people who are loyal to the government, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.<br /><br />The London-based watchdog group said some of the executed people were beheaded by the terror group, following the large-scale offensive on Palmyra on Wednesday.<br /><br />Earlier in the day, the Observatory said IS militants have taken full control of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.<br /><br />Both the residential parts and the historic parts, which host 2,000-year-old monuments and temples, of Palmyra have fallen to the IS group, according to the London-based Observatory.<br /><br />An airbase, a central prison and the intelligence headquarters are all in IS hands now, said the monitor group, which says it relies on a network of activists on the ground inside Syria.<br /><br />About 100 government soldiers were killed on Wednesday in the battles in Palmyra, the group reported, saying IS militants now control half of Syria.<br /><br />Late on Wednesday, Syria's official al-Ekbarieh TV said the Syrian National Defence Forces pulled out of Palmyra due to intense IS assaults after evacuating civilians from the city.<br />The IS offensive against Palmyra started on May 13. The group has since captured the towns of Sukhneh and Amiriyeh and the al-Hail and Arak oilfields.<br /><br />Mamoun Abdulkarim, general director of Syrian antiquities and museums, told Xinhua that government forces managed to transport all moveable ancient items from Palmyra to safe areas.<br /><br />Abdulkarim expressed grave concern over the fate of the old temples and monuments that cannot be moved.<br /><br />Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, contains monumental ruins of a city that was one of the most important cultural centres in ancient times.<br /><br />From the 1st to the 2nd century, the art and architecture of Palmyra, standing at the crossroads of several civilisations, married Graeco-Roman techniques with local traditions and Persian influences, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).<br /><br />Syria has many prehistoric, Greek, Byzantine and Islamic heritage sites.<br />In addition to Palmyra, the UNESCO has listed several other Syrian sites on its World Heritage List, including the old cities of Damascus and Aleppo, al-Madhiq castle, the Krak des Chevaliers, the ancient city of Bosra, and ancient villages in northern Syria. <br /><br /></div>
<div>The Islamic State (IS) militants have executed at least 17 people since they took control over the ancient city of Palmyra on Wednesday, a monitor group said on Thursday.<br /><br />Some of the slain people were government forces along with people who are loyal to the government, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.<br /><br />The London-based watchdog group said some of the executed people were beheaded by the terror group, following the large-scale offensive on Palmyra on Wednesday.<br /><br />Earlier in the day, the Observatory said IS militants have taken full control of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.<br /><br />Both the residential parts and the historic parts, which host 2,000-year-old monuments and temples, of Palmyra have fallen to the IS group, according to the London-based Observatory.<br /><br />An airbase, a central prison and the intelligence headquarters are all in IS hands now, said the monitor group, which says it relies on a network of activists on the ground inside Syria.<br /><br />About 100 government soldiers were killed on Wednesday in the battles in Palmyra, the group reported, saying IS militants now control half of Syria.<br /><br />Late on Wednesday, Syria's official al-Ekbarieh TV said the Syrian National Defence Forces pulled out of Palmyra due to intense IS assaults after evacuating civilians from the city.<br />The IS offensive against Palmyra started on May 13. The group has since captured the towns of Sukhneh and Amiriyeh and the al-Hail and Arak oilfields.<br /><br />Mamoun Abdulkarim, general director of Syrian antiquities and museums, told Xinhua that government forces managed to transport all moveable ancient items from Palmyra to safe areas.<br /><br />Abdulkarim expressed grave concern over the fate of the old temples and monuments that cannot be moved.<br /><br />Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, contains monumental ruins of a city that was one of the most important cultural centres in ancient times.<br /><br />From the 1st to the 2nd century, the art and architecture of Palmyra, standing at the crossroads of several civilisations, married Graeco-Roman techniques with local traditions and Persian influences, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).<br /><br />Syria has many prehistoric, Greek, Byzantine and Islamic heritage sites.<br />In addition to Palmyra, the UNESCO has listed several other Syrian sites on its World Heritage List, including the old cities of Damascus and Aleppo, al-Madhiq castle, the Krak des Chevaliers, the ancient city of Bosra, and ancient villages in northern Syria. <br /><br /></div>