ISIS slaughters 400 mostly women and children in ancient Syria city of Palmyra where hundreds of bodies line the street
- State TV reporting victims are believed to be government loyalists
- Follows execution of 300 pro-government soldiers in historic settlement
- Jihadi fighters previously warned residents against sheltering troops
- Black ISIS flag hoisted over an ancient citadel after taking over city
Islamic State militants have executed at least 400 mostly women and children in Syria's ancient city of Palmyra.
Eye-witnesses
have reported the streets are strewn with bodies – the latest victims
of the Islamic State's unrelenting savagery - on the same day
photographs of captured Syrian soldiers have emerged.
It
follows the killing of nearly 300 pro-government troops two days after
they captured the city, now symbolised by a black ISIS flag flying above
an ancient citadel.
Scroll down for video
Takeover: ISIS raised their flag over
an ancient citadel in Palmyra while state television is reporting they
have killed hundreds of women and children
ISIS
has also strengthened its position in neighbouring Iraq with Jihadi
fighters killing more than 500 people when they captured the city of
Ramadi, last week.
Syrian
state television announced the most recent massacre, quoting residents
inside the city, which is known as Tadmur in Arabic.
'The
terrorists have killed more than 400 people.. and mutilated their
bodies, under the pretext that they cooperated with the government and
did not follow orders,' Syria's state news agency said.
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It
added that dozens of those killed were state employees, including the
head of nursing department at the hospital and all her family members.
Harrowing
pictures have also emerged of Syrian army troops captured during the
fierce fighting as the city fell. The 20 soldiers, in military clothing,
look disheveled as they kneel before cameras.
Officials
say the Syrian army is deploying troops in areas near to the ancient
town in apparent preparation for a counter-attack to retake the city
from the Islamic State group.
Seized: Members of the Syrian army crouch before cameras after they were seized by ISIS
Captured: Syrian soldiers that were taken after ISIS took control of the ancient city of Palmyra
Distressing: The photographs show 20
Syrian soldiers, dressed in full uniform, on their knees, days after 300
were killed in Palmyra
Governor
Talal Barazi of the central province of Homs, which includes Palmyra,
said that IS members have 'committed mass massacres in the city of
Palmyra' since its capture.
He said IS fighters took civilians, including women, to unknown destinations.
But
he said retaliation was imminent, adding: 'there is planning, God
willing, for a military action in the surroundings of Palmyra'.
It
comes as a former head of the Army called on the Government to 'think
the previously unthinkable' and consider sending ground troops to combat
Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq.
Lord
Dannatt, the former chief of the general staff, told the Mail on
Sunday he felt air strikes had failed to stop the advance of the
extremist organisation and urged Parliament to debate deploying up to
5,000 infantry soldiers.
'In
light of this terrifying scenario, how much longer can Britain and the
US continue to show such a lack of commitment to defeating IS
mililtarily? Their default option of air strikes and limited assistance
to indigenous forces has failed thus far,' he said.
Sickening: A picture sent by activists
to a Western journalist showed a row of men in a street in Palmyra —
known locally by its Arabic name Tadmur — lying in a pool of blood. At
least four had been decapitated
Jail break: This picture shared on
several pro-ISIS Twitter account claims to show prisoners celebrating
with their liberators after being freed from the notorious Tadmur prison
by ISIS fighters in the city of Palmyra
'We
have now reached a point when we must think the previously unthinkable
and consider that British troops, acting as part of an international
coalition, may be required to mount a ground campaign in Iraq and
Syria.
'I
am no gung-ho general who says 'just send the boys in and don't worry
about the body bags', far from it, but faced with such a lethal and
uncompromising enemy as IS - and with the lack of political and
diplomatic solutions at our disposal - we can no longer rule out 'boots
on the ground'.'
Meanwhile,
US defence secretary Ash Carter criticised Iraqi forces for not having
the 'will to fight' after the Islamic State group's takeover of Ramadi.
What apparently happened is the Iraqi forces just showed no will to fight. They were not outnumbered.
Ash Carter, US defence secretary
Mr
Carter said the United States can provide training, weapons and air
support in the fight against the Islamic State extremists but he said
the Iraqi forces will have to show a willingness to fight for their
country.
'What apparently happened is the Iraqi forces just showed no will to fight. They were not outnumbered,' he said.
'In
fact, they vastly outnumbered the opposing force. That says to me, and I
think to most of us, that we have an issue with the will of the Iraqis
to fight ISIL and defend themselves.'
Now
the terror group also has full control of Palmyra, putting the world
heritage site and its priceless 2,000-year-old artifacts at risk of
destruction.
The city is home to renowned Roman-era ruins including well-preserved temples, colonnades and a theatre.
Opposition
activists have said on social media that hundreds of bodies were in the
streets of the city after it was seized by the ultra hardline group on
Wednesday. They said they were believed to be government loyalists.
Archaeological
jewel: The city is home to a UNESCO World Heritage site. Jihadi fighters
have been stalking homes and shops looking for survivors, using
loudspeakers to warn residents not to shelter any troops
Battle: Islamic State fighters take
cover during a battle against Syrian government forces on a road between
Homs and Palmyra on Wednesday, shortly before they seized the city
Ancient site: Islamic State militants
overran the famed archaeological site at Palmyra, just hours after
seizing the central Syrian town
The
jihadis have been stalking homes and shops looking for survivors, using
loudspeakers to warn residents not to shelter any troops.
Many locals have come forward to give information about any soldiers who had melted into the civilian population.
Video
posted on a pro-ISIS Facebook page showed people and militants
gathering around two bloodied men in military uniforms in a Palmyra
street.
'Let all the residents see them,' one of the men in the gathering tells an ISIS fighter.
As
the jihadi fighters advanced, hundreds of statues and artefacts from
Palmyra's museum were transferred out of the city, according to
Abdulkarim, but many others – including massive tombs – could not be
moved.
Syrian officials said ISIS fighters have already broken into the museum of Palmyra and smashed a statue in the foyer
The castle where the flag has been hoisted is unlikely to be destroyed as it dates back to an Islamic civilisation.
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