Shock recapture of Syria’s Palmyra boosts Islamic State groups
Beirut — The Islamic State (IS) groups’ surprise recapture of Syria’s ancient city of Palmyra has given the jihadist group an important propaganda boost as it comes under attack elsewhere. Here are some questions and answers about the group’s attack on the city: The jihadist group began an assault on government positions in Homs province, where Palmyra is located, last week. It quickly overran army checkpoints and seized oil and gas fields until it reached the city’s edge. The jihadists briefly entered the city on Saturday before being forced to withdraw after government ally Russia launched intense air strikes. But despite the raids and the arrival of Syrian army reinforcements, IS seized control of the city hours later, a monitoring group and the jihadist-linked Amaq news agency said. Experts said several factors explained IS’s shock recapture of the city, including its isolated location in the eastern desert of Homs province, where the group was able to overrun territory quickly....
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