MESOP REPORT : THE FIRST DAY IN RAMADI – IS / Islamic State Tightens Hold on Palmyra, Ramadi – Frantic Message as Palmyra, Syria, Fell: ‘We’re Finished’
22 May 2015 -The Islamic State is consolidating its hold on Palmyra after seizing the city this week. Militants have used the speakers at mosques used for the call to prayer to tell residents to turn in soldiers and government employees, and people remaining in the city have reported dozens of public executions. The Syrian government is reportedly stepping up airstrikes targeting the Palmyra. “The civilians are terrified,” a resident told the New York Times. “The only bakery is controlled by ISIS. The army is bombing randomly.”The Islamic State also tightened its hold on Ramadi, the other major city it captured this week. Fighters there overran an Iraqi security checkpoint near the city. “The situation is very critical now after ISIS fighters managed to overrun our defensive line in Husaiba,” a police official told reporters. “We have retreated to the eastern part of the area and we’re waiting for more reinforcements and air force strikes to stop the Daesh [ISIS] advance.” A) http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/22/world/middleeast/syria-palmyra-ruins-isis.html?_r=0&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=%2AMideast%20Brief&utm_campaign=New%20Campaign