Islamic State seizes more than half of Syria

The Islamic State has seized more than half of Syria after taking full control of the town of Palmyra and its ancient ruins, activists said Thursday.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the extremists had seized more than 36,000 square miles of the country and had also taken control of "the vast majority" of its gas and oil fields. USA TODAY could not independently confirm the information.

The human rights group's Rami Abdurrahman said the extremists took control of the archaeological site to the southwest of Palmyra early Thursday, the Associated Press reported. The United Nations describes the site as "one of the most important cultural centers of the ancient world."

The Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, captured the town Wednesday, after seizing the Iraqi city of Ramadi over the weekend.

A video posted online purported to show militants setting a giant poster of Syrian President Bashar Assad alight inside the prison in Palmyra and cheering. The video could not be independently verified.

Bebars al-Talawy, an activist in the central province of Homs, told the AP the militants now control the ruins at Palmyra, a UNESCO world heritage site famous for its 2,000-year-old Roman-era colonnades and priceless artifacts. Both activists said Thursday that the Islamic State has not damaged the ruins so far.

Al-Talawy said the government had recently transferred thousands of inmates from the town's prison to a jail near the capital of Damascus, but added the extremists had freed some of the prisoners who remained inside.

Syrian state television said late Wednesday that pro-government forces had withdrawn from Palmyra after evacuating most civilians there, Reuters reported.

Islamic State fighters advanced to the gates of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria on May 14, 2015, according to reports. There are fears the group will damage the ancient ruins like they have artifacts in Iraq. (Photo: JOSEPH EID, AFP/Getty Images)

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Homs governor Talal Barazi said many of Palmyra's residents were fleeing toward the city of Homs and Damascus, and that the Syrian army was targeting Islamic State reinforcements from outside the town, according to the AP.

"We have not received any news about (the archaeological site's) destruction," he said. "We hope that there will be no massacres in the city or damage to the ruins."

Credit to USAtoday.com