ISIS held a Syrian city for 10 months, Syrian forces say. Palmyra, considered to be a World Heritage Site by the United Nations, was found in a grim state on March 27th, once forces ran out ISIS fighters. Finally, forces were able to recapture the city of Palmyra, and they say they have uncovered a gruesome discovery.
Amongst the body count of 40 bodies, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported many were of women and children. The mass grave is believed to be the result of all those who died upon the terror group initially entering the city. Some bodies have led investigators to believe that some people, prior to their deaths experienced forms of torture or were killed by beheading.
Beyond the inhuman actions of ISIS, the group is responsible for the destruction of ancient ruins and the killing of the expert who cared for the ruins. Syria’s antiquities expert plans to rebuild all of the ruins that were damaged as a “message of anti-terror”. Experts believe that any artifacts damaged will be brought back to their historic value.
The region has been in a five year war against militant groups, included the terrorist organization, ISIS, in a five-year war. Russia has recently pulled out it’s troops from the region, and many have fled from the area. The most recent numbers report that 4.8 million Syrians have fled from the county in response to the violent groups terrorizing the area. Also, in response, 6.6 million people have been displaced, along with 250,000 killed with the presence in the area. Russia pulled out recently due to accomplishing its goal of reclaiming cities from groups like ISIS.