IS Captures Part Of Ancient City Of Palmyra

Islamic State fighters have shot dead 23 civilians, including nine children, near the city of Palmyra, a monitoring group says.

Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told the AFP news agency that family members of government employees were among those killed.

Fighters from the jihadist group are reported to have taken "most" of the northern part of the ancient city, which is a UNESCO world heritage site.

It comes after ongoing "fierce clashes", Mr Rahman said.

The seizures have increased fears that another ancient site of historic importance could be at risk of destruction, following IS's demolition of the Assyrian city of Nimrud and the Roman-era city of Hatra.

Meanwhile, claims that IS had raised its black flag over the main government compound in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi have been denied.

A tribal leader told the Reuters agency that militants had withdrawn, while Iraq's government insisted the city had not fallen.

It said a major counter-offensive, with air strikes from the US-led coalition, would push IS back in the "coming hours".

Marine Brigadier General Thomas D. Weidley, chief of staff for Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, said: "We believe across Iraq and Syria that Daesh (IS) is losing and remains on the defensive."

The battle for Ramadi - the capital of Anbar province - has been raging since last year, but IS renewed their push for the city in April, and launched a fierce offensive on Friday that included six suicide car bombs to reach the city centre.

Iraqi officials have also said IS has gained substantial control over the Beiji oil refinery.

Irina Bokova, the head of UNESCO, has called on Syrian troops and extremists to spare Palmyra, saying it "represents an irreplaceable treasure for the Syrian people, and the world".

The city, which is nicknamed "the pearl of the desert", is home to millennia-old tombs, colonnades and Roman temples.

Its art and architecture blends Greco-Roman techniques with local traditions and Persian influence.

IS militants see such treasures as targets because they regard much of the icongraphy on display as 'false idols', banned under their austere form of Islamic belief.

Talal Barazi, the governor of central Homs province, where Palmyra is located, claimed the situation was "under control", with army reinforcements sent to the city and bombing raids being conducted on IS positions.

Since the IS offensive began in Iraq's Anbar province early on Wednesday, more than 138 combatants - 73 soldiers and 65 jihadists - have been killed.

Before the latest killings, there were reports of at least 26 civilians being killed by IS, including 10 by beheading, for collaborating with the Syrian regime, the Observatory said.