MESOP : FIRST PICS REPORTS = ISLAMIC STATE IN PALMYRA – Islamic State releases media from Palmyra

Video released by ‘Amaq News from Tadmur

In the wake of the capture of the city of Palmyra (known in Arabic as Tadmur), the Islamic State has begun releasing media from the region, including photos of executions in the city and two videos from the area. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the Islamic State has executed “no less than 17 people in Tadmur city.” Those executed, according to the SOHR, included National Defense Force personnel, Syrian Army soldiers, and locals whom the Islamic State accused of working with the regime. Photos have emerged that seem to confirm this reporting, though the images have not been released from official Islamic State channels and cannot be independently verified. The photos show roughly seven beheaded bodies laying in a street in the city and are too graphic to publish.

The Islamic State has also released two videos from the area through its unofficial news agency, ‘Amaq News. The first video shows several Islamic State fighters clearing buildings that were used by Syrian soldiers. The jihadists also showcase captured weapons and desecrate pictures of Hafiz and Bashar al Assad. In the second video, the Islamic State features footage of the captured prison while other scenes show its fighters driving through the streets of Tadmur. Other footage shows local residents celebrating with Islamic State fighters. The first video can be seen above and the second can be seen below.

Additional photos released by the jihadist group, which can be seen below, show at least two crashed helicopters, but it is unclear if they were downed in the fighting. Other images show the hospital in Tadmur, the gate to the city, and the Tadmur airport.

The Islamic State took full control of the city over the past 24 hours after a weeklong offensive. Syrian troops began evacuating civilians yesterday before withdrawing in the face of the jihadist group’s onslaught. At least 462 civilians, 241 government troops, and 150 Islamic State fighters were killed in the fighting in and around Palmyra since May 13, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The jihadist group also took over several nearby towns and the Jazal oil field. (For more on this, see LWJreport, Islamic State seizes Syrian city of Palmyra.)

Photos from Palmyra/Tadmur:

Photos from the hospital:

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Photos from the Tadmur military airport:

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Photos from the Tadmur prison and other areas of the city:

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Another video released by ‘Amaq News from Tadmur:

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