MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Syrian army and allied militiamen continue offensive against the militants of the Islamic State (ISIL) group in the west of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said Saturday.
On Wednesday, the Syrian armed forces launched an offensive with the goal of liberating the ISIL-Occupied historic city, recapturing an area some 3.5 miles from Palmyra.
“Clashes are taking place between the regime forces and the militiamen loyal to them against ISIL in the west of Palmyra city,” the monitor said.
SOHR added that 12 members of the pro-government forces were killed in the clashes on Friday while over 30 ISIL militants were killed or wounded.
ISIL militants captured Palmyra in May, destroying some of its historic sites. The Syrian government evacuated the majority of the local population and removed the most valuable artifacts from museums to prevent their theft, sale or destruction.
Palmyra is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and contains large ruins of an ancient Roman city.
