Surprise Recapture of Syria's Palmyra Gives IS Boost
The Islamic State group's surprise recapture of Syria's famed ancient city of Palmyra has given the jihadist group an important propaganda boon as it comes under attack elsewhere.
Here are some questions and answers about the group's attack on the city:
Q: How did IS capture Palmyra?A: The jihadist group began an assault on government positions in Homs province, where Palmyra is located, last week.
It quickly overran army checkpoints and seized oil and gas fields until it reached the city's edge.
The jihadists briefly entered the city on Saturday before being forced to withdraw after government ally Russia launched intense air strikes.
But despite the raids and the arrival of Syrian army reinforcements, IS seized control of the city hours later, a monitoring group and the jihadist-linked Amaq news agency said.
Experts said several factors explained IS's shock recapture of the city, including its isolated location in the eastern desert of Homs province, where the group was able to overrun territory quickly.
"The geography of the city, which is surrounded by mountains, makes it very difficult to defend," said Romain Caillet, an expert on jihadist groups.
Government and Russian forces, on the offensive elsewhere in Syria, may also have been vulnerable to a surprise attack, a favoured IS tactic.
"One of the key things IS is very good at is launching surprise attacks from desert positions," said Charlie Winter, a senior fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence at Kings College London.
"They have a high level of operational security so they are able to essentially launch shock attacks and gain lots of ground."
- Q: Why is Palmyra important?A: Despite its relatively small size, Palmyra is considered symbolically important and of international interest because of its ancient ruins, which are a UNESCO World Heritage site.
IS ravaged the ruins during the 10 months it held Palmyra from March 2015 to May 2016, systematically blowing up ancient temples in attacks that provoked worldwide horror.
Russian forces played a key role in Palmyra's capture, which Moscow celebrated by flying in Russian musicians to perform a classical concert in the city's ancient theatre, where IS had staged mass executions of government troops.
IS's win in Palmyra at the weekend comes as the jihadist group faces major offensives against its two most important bastions -- Syria's Raqa city and Iraq's Mosul.
In both cities, the group has been forced to issue daily denials about its losses, so the Palmyra advance gives it a chance to change the narrative, Winter said.
"It really feeds their ability to engage in a triumphalist propaganda frenzy... They want to show that they are still a potent military actor," he said.
Q: What will IS do now?A: The group's fighters have continued to push forward, advancing Monday towards Al-Qaryatain, a village that the jihadists also ravaged during an eight-month rule.
But they have come under heavy Russian air strikes, and it was unclear how long they could hold on to the territory they have captured in recent days.
Winter said Russia and Damascus were likely to push hard to force IS out of Palmyra, "because it is a symbolically potent site".
But with key battles raging elsewhere, mainly government operations to recapture rebel east Aleppo, a major push to expel IS could be delayed until more resources are available.
Caillet said IS would continue pushing to take additional territory.
"It's a mistake to think that they will stop at local objectives, they will continue to the maximum of their abilities, even if their operations... sometimes appear irrational," he said.
"With their capture of Palmyra, despite Russian bombardment, jihadist morale has been boosted for at least another six months," he added.
Source: Agence France Presse
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