Syria's military has reportedly found a mass grave containing around 40 bodies in the city of Palmyra. Government forces took back control of the ancient Syrian town from "Islamic State" militants last weekend.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Al Mounes
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Syrian troops unearthed the remains of soldiers and civilians executed by "Islamic State" (IS) in Palmyra's northeastern outskirts, a military official said Saturday.
The source told news agency AFP there appeared to be several women and children among the victims.
"They were executed either by beheading or by shooting," the source said, adding that the bodies had been transferred to a military hospital in the provincial capital, Homs.
Syrian troops backed by Russian forces recaptured Palmyra last Sunday from IS fighters who overran the city and its UNESCO-listed ruins in May 2015. During its 10-month occupation, the terror group destroyed the ancient temples of Bel and Baal Shamin and looted relics that dated back thousands of years.
According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the militants also executed scores of people and buried them on the city's fringes.
The loss of Palmyra marked one of the biggest defeats for IS, and came during an international ceasefire between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces and opposing militia.
IS and the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front are not part of the truce, which has helped aid agencies deliver humanitarian help to towns and villages under siege. More than 250,000 people have been killed and millions displaced in Syria's five-year war.
What's left to salvage in Palmyra?
Many of Palmyra's ruins appear to be in decent shape. Some archeologists hope that following its liberation the ancient city in the middle of the Syrian desert can be salvaged after all.
Image: Getty Images/AFP
Palmyra: ruins left in ruins
Palmyra's giant pillars used to be recognized around the world. This long boulevard of antiquity was feared to have been pulverized in deliberate explosions conducted by the so-called "Islamic State" (IS). But recent images show that much of the Great Colonade survived IS and its reign of terror.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Al Mounes
Like pieces of a puzzle
Syria's antiquities director Maamoun Abdulkarim intends to rebuild Palmyra to the state of its former glory. Ancient sites such as the Temple of Baal Shamin and the Temple of Bel will have to be pieced together like a puzzle after IS had demolished them in 2015. Still, Abdulkarim hopes that with the UN's help, Palmyra will be restored in five years' time.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Al Mounes
Mass executions where plays once premiered
The fact that Palmyra's ancient amphitheater, built around 200 A.D., appears to have survived the brute force of IS' destruction campaign might be among the lesser surprises here. It was here that jihadists held mass executions last year, while also using the stage as their set for their violent propaganda videos. A memorial for these recent events will likely be part of the restoration efforts.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Al Mounes
A bird's eye perspective
Aerial photographs reveal that other parts of the ancient city barely managed to withstand IS' deliberate destruction. The image on the right, taken on March 26, 2016, shows the extent of the damage after IS had blown up the Temple of Bel. On the left, the temple is seen intact before the jihadists' advance toward the UNESCO World Heritage site in May 2015.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Unosat
Destruction beyond the ancient city
Palmyra's National Museum also suffered heavy losses under IS rule. Its treasures were looted, some were damaged, and others burned. The building itself lost parts of its roof but appears to have kept its structural integrity.
Image: picture-alliance/Sputnik/M. Voskresenskiy
Liberation after almost a year of tyranny
Locals knew they had been liberated when the fortress of Qal'at Ibn Ma'n high on top of a hill in Palmyra was finally recaptured by government forces. The structure is thought to date back only to the 13th to 16th centuries, but prior to the IS occupation, it had always been part of Palmyra's tourist attraction route despite pertaining to more recent history.
