IS claims full control of Palmyra

Militants hold more than half of Syrian territory; US, Arab coalition forces continue with airstrikes

Islamic State fighters tightened their grip on the historic Syrian city of Palmyra on Thursday and overran Iraqi government defenses east of Ramadi, the provincial capital they seized five days earlier.

The twin successes not only pile pressure on Damascus and Baghdad but throw doubt on the US strategy of relying almost exclusively on airstrikes to support the fight against IS.

US and coalition forces conducted 18 airstrikes against IS targets in Syria and Iraq since Wednesday.

Observers said the al-Qaida offshoot now controls more than half of all Syrian territory after more than four years of conflict that grew out of an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.

IS has seized the last border crossing between Syria and Iraq that had been controlled by the Damascus government. The crossing is in Syria's Homs province, where Palmyra is located.

Fighters loyal to the Sunni Muslim group have also consolidated their grip on the Libyan city of Sirte, hometown of former leader Muammar Gadhafi.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the seizure of Palmyra was a setback for US-led coalition forces, but that US President Barack Obama disagreed with Republicans demanding he send ground troops to fight the militants.

The Obama administration has publicly expressed confidence in Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, but some US officials are questioning privately whether he is too weak to bridge Iraq's sectarian divide.

IS said in a statement posted by followers on Twitter that it was in full charge of Palmyra, including its military bases, marking the first time it had taken a city directly from the Syrian military and allied forces.

Civilians flee

The UN human rights office in Geneva said a third of Palmyra's 200,000 residents may have fled the fighting in the past few days.

The US Defense Department announced on Thursday it is sending 2,000 anti-tank weapons to Iraq to help Iraqi forces.

The weapons will arrive as early as next week, the department spokesman Steve Warren said in a statement, adding that the US is also expediting the delivery of ammunition and other equipment to counter the militants' increasing reliance on vehicle-borne bombs.

UN human rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani also said there were reports of government forces preventing civilians from leaving, although state media said pro-government National Defense Forces had evacuated civilians before withdrawing.

"ISIL has reportedly been carrying out door-to-door searches in the city, looking for people affiliated with the government," Shamdasani said, using an alternative acronym for the militant group. "At least 14 civilians are reported to have been executed by ISIL in Palmyra this week."

Reuters - Xinhua

(China Daily 05/23/2015 page11)