Page 3 - ATA MAY 25,2015
P. 3
WORLD NEWS 9
Saturday 23 May 2015
An Islamic State fighter fires
his weapon against Syrian
forces on a road between
Homs and Palmyra, Syria.
(IS Website via AP)
IS captures Iraqi
city, purges foes
within Palmyra
BASSEM MROUE
SAMEER N. YACOUB
Associated Press
BAGHDAD (AP) — Islam-
ic State group militants
searched through the Syr-
ian town of Palmyra for
government troops and
fighters, using lists of names
and informers to track
them down and shoot-
ing some in the head on
the spot, activists said Fri-
day, estimating at least
150 have been killed in the
past two days.
The purge was part of a
clampdown by the extrem-
ist group to solidify its grip
on the town since over-
running it late Wednesday.
The militants have also im-
posed a curfew from 5 p.m.
until sunrise and banned
people from leaving town
until Saturday morning to
ensure none of the gov-
ernment figures they seek
manage to escape, activ-
ists and officials said.
The door-to-door hunt for
opponents was similar to a
purge the militants carried
out in the Iraqi city of Ra-
madi after capturing it last
week.
“The search is going from
house to house, shop to
shop and people on the
streets have to show iden-
tity cards,” said Osama al-
Khatib, an activist from Pal-
myra who is currently in Tur-
key. Al-Khatib last contact-
ed his friends and relatives
in Palmyra on Friday morn-
ing before the government
cut off all land and cellular
telephones as well as Inter-
net service in the town.
IS fighters have also de-
tained dozens of suspects
after seizing Palmyra,
which is home to one of the
Middle East’s most famous
archaeological sites, activ-
ists and officials said.q
Saturday 23 May 2015
An Islamic State fighter fires
his weapon against Syrian
forces on a road between
Homs and Palmyra, Syria.
(IS Website via AP)
IS captures Iraqi
city, purges foes
within Palmyra
BASSEM MROUE
SAMEER N. YACOUB
Associated Press
BAGHDAD (AP) — Islam-
ic State group militants
searched through the Syr-
ian town of Palmyra for
government troops and
fighters, using lists of names
and informers to track
them down and shoot-
ing some in the head on
the spot, activists said Fri-
day, estimating at least
150 have been killed in the
past two days.
The purge was part of a
clampdown by the extrem-
ist group to solidify its grip
on the town since over-
running it late Wednesday.
The militants have also im-
posed a curfew from 5 p.m.
until sunrise and banned
people from leaving town
until Saturday morning to
ensure none of the gov-
ernment figures they seek
manage to escape, activ-
ists and officials said.
The door-to-door hunt for
opponents was similar to a
purge the militants carried
out in the Iraqi city of Ra-
madi after capturing it last
week.
“The search is going from
house to house, shop to
shop and people on the
streets have to show iden-
tity cards,” said Osama al-
Khatib, an activist from Pal-
myra who is currently in Tur-
key. Al-Khatib last contact-
ed his friends and relatives
in Palmyra on Friday morn-
ing before the government
cut off all land and cellular
telephones as well as Inter-
net service in the town.
IS fighters have also de-
tained dozens of suspects
after seizing Palmyra,
which is home to one of the
Middle East’s most famous
archaeological sites, activ-
ists and officials said.q
