The Islamic State reportedly planted bombs in the ancient city of Palmyra today.
There are rumors that ISIS will blow up Palmyra today.
Got this earlier today. I hope he is wrong. #Palmyra #Syria #ISIS pic.twitter.com/MrMWz8vSv2
— The 47th (@THE_47th) June 21, 2015
Reuters reported:
Islamic State has planted mines and bombs in the ancient part of the central Syrian city of Palmyra, home to Roman-era ruins, a group monitoring the war said on Sunday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was not immediately clear whether the group was preparing to destroy the ancient ruins or planted the mines to deter government forces from advancing towards the city, also known as Tadmur.
“They have planted it yesterday. They also planted some around the Roman theater, we still do not know the real reason,” Rami Abdulrahman, the head of the Observatory, told Reuters.
Maamoun Abdulkarim, Syria’s head of antiquities, told Reuters that the reports of Islamic State planting bombs in Palmyra “seems true”.
“The city is a hostage in their hands, the situation is dangerous.”
The ultra-hardline Sunni Muslim group in May seized the city of 50,000 people, site of some of the world’s most extensive and best-preserved ancient Roman ruins.