Islamic State militants have entered the ancient ruins of Palmyra after taking control of the Syrian city, monitors say.
Insurgents swept into Palmyra's military air base, prison and intelligence headquarters on Wednesday and were now in the city's ancient sites, Rami Abdulrahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said.
Smoke was rising above ancient remains in Palmyra in central Syria days before Islamic State militants announced they had seized full control of the historic city.
The radical group said in a statement posted by followers on Twitter today it was in full charge of Palmyra, increasing fears that Roman-era temples, colonnades and a theatre in the World Heritage site will be destroyed.
In February, Islamist militants in northern Iraq destroyed a priceless collection of statues and sculptures from the ancient Assyrian era.
British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Islamic State now controls more than half of Syrian territory following four years of civil war.
Clashes in the area since Wednesday (May 20), killed at least 100 pro-government fighters, said Rami Abdulrahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
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