Sunday, May 24, 2015

ISIS slaughter 400 innocent people, mostly women and children in attack on ancient city of Palmyra, Syria

(Mirror) Islamic State militants have slaughtered at least 400 mostly women and children in another brutal attack in Syria.

The mass killings have taken place in the ancient city of Palmyra, the latest city to be seized by the extremist group.

State TV reported that the streets are strewn with bodies, saying: “The terrorists have killed more than 400 people...and mutilated their bodies, under the pretext that they co-operated with the government and did not follow orders.”

Those killed are believed to be employees including the head of the hospital’s nursing department and all her family.

The latest killing follows the slaughter of 300 troops just after Palmyra was captured.

A black IS flag now flies over the ancient citadel in the central-Syrian city which is home to the Unesco world heritage site, one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world.

Most of the museum antiques have been removed and taken to Damascus.

But antiquities director Mamoun Abdulkarim said: “There are still the large items, like the sarcophagi, which weigh three or four tonnes and we could not move.

“Those are what worry me.”

He added: “I hope that they do not repeat the same destruction they committed in Iraq.”, referring the bulldozing and smashing of ancient artefacts in ancient Iraq city Nimrud.