BEIRUT (Sputnik) — Islamic State terrorists have offered groups fighting for the Palestinian refugee camp Yarmuk in the Syrian capital of Damascus to surrender by nightfall, a source told Sputnik on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, a powerful explosion hit Yarmouk amid heavy fighting between different armed groups.
On Wednesday, ISIL extremists took over a major part of the camp.
The camp used to be home to over 160,000 Palestinian refugees before the Syrian civil war began in 2011. Currently it is the place of residence of 18,000 people, including some 3,500 children, according to the United Nations.
Yarmuk has been struggling with a humanitarian crisis, being under siege by Islamist militants since late 2012.
ISIL, notorious for committing atrocities, has seized large territories in Syria, proclaiming strict Islamic law on lands under its control.
