Syrian state TV has revealed that Islamic State (IS) fighters have killed at least 400 people -- including women and children -- in Palmyra since capturing the ancient Syrian city four days ago, the News Daily website reports today (May 25, 2015).
The Sunni Muslim militants seized the city of 50,000 people -- site of some of the world's best preserved Roman ruins -- just days after capturing the city of Ramadi in neighboring Iraq.
The two IS victories were the Islamic State's biggest successes since a U.S.-led coalition began an air war against its fighters last year. The IS victories have resulted in the U.S. re-evaluating its airstrike policy, with the possibility of also using ground troops in Syria and Iraq.
The IS militants have a history of carrying out mass killings in regions they capture -- often beheading bodies and throwing them on the streets, as they did in Palmyra -- and of destroying ancient monuments, which they view as symbols of paganism.
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