Islamic State 'Enters Town Next to Syria's Palmyra'

Rising out of the Syrian desert, Palmyra contains the
monumental ruins of a great city

BBC AMERICA: Islamic State militants are reported to have seized a third of the Syrian town next to Palmyra, one of the the Middle East's greatest archaeological sites.

Activists said IS had overrun much of the north of Tadmur after fierce clashes with government forces.

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.

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. » | Wednesday, May 20, 2015