Syrian forces 'retake full control of Palmyra' from IS

The ancient city of Palmyra has been under IS control for nearly a year Credit: REUTERS/Syrian TV via Reuters

Syrian government forces have reportedly 'retaken full control of Palmyra', a city which has been held by the so-called Islamic State for nearly a year.

According to state television and the monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights there was still gunfire in the eastern part of the city on Sunday morning but the majority of IS forces had pulled out and the ancient city is now back under President Bashar al-Assad's control.

A military source told Syrian Television the army and its militia allies have regained "complete control over the city of Palmyra".

Forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad flash victory signs and carry a Syrian national flag on the edge of the historic city of Palmyra Credit: Sana/Reuters handout

The recapturing of the city, which has a population of about 50,000 people follows a three-week campaign by Syrian government forces and is seen as a massive defeat for IS.

Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman said 400 Islamic Statefighters died in the battle for the city and hailed it "the biggest single defeat for the group since it declared a caliphate in areas of Syria and Iraq under its control in 2014."

  • The importance of Palmyra

Palmyra is a city of particular importance for a two key reasons - its geographical location and its historical significance.

Located on the edge of Syria's eastern desert, which stretches to the Iraqi border to the south and Deir al-Zor and Raqqa to the east, the city acted almost as a gateway to what is seen as IS heartland.

In addition it is the home to some of the most extensive ruins of the Roman empire and although several monuments were dynamited last year other ancient landmarks are reportedly still standing.