DHAKA: Syrian government forces recaptured Palmyra on Sunday, state media and a monitoring group said, inflicting a significant defeat on the Islamic State (IS) group which had controlled the desert city since May last year.

Syrian television quoted a military source saying the army and its militia allies took “complete control over the city of Palmyra”, reports The Jerusalem Post.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there was still gunfire in the eastern part of the city on Sunday morning but the bulk of the Islamic State force had pulled out and retreated east, leaving Palmyra under government control.

Syrian government forces had been pushing deeper into the city in recent days, recapturing the hilltop citadel and the airbase after starting an offensive against the militant group days ago.

Fierce fighting between government forces and IS militants was reported Saturday in Palmyra, a UNESCO world heritage site known for its Roman-era ruins, with artillery fire ringing in the air and heavy smoke rising from many locations.

The hilltop citadel, which was built in the 13th century and overlooks the ancient ruins of Palmyra, has been hotly contested by Syrian government forces backed by Russian airstrikes and IS, which overran the town last May, and has blown up ancient temples and looted relics dating back thousands of years.

The recapture of the desert city would be one of the most prominent successes for President Bashar Assad since Russia launched a military intervention in September which has turned the tide of Syria's civil war.

BDST: 1308 HRS, MAR 27, 2016
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