Government forces retake ancient city of Palmyra from ISIL

Islamic Extremism

In this undated photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows the site of the ancient city of Palmyra, Syria. Palmyra is an archaeological gem that Syrian troops took back from Islamic State fighters on Sunday, March 27, 2016. (SANA via AP)

Syria said it has won the Battle of Palmyra, handing ISIL a major blow. The Army says the last ISIL militants have now retreated.

CCTV’s Alaa Ebrahim reports from Damascus.

Follow Alaa Ebharim on Twitter @Alaa_Ebrahim_tv

A joyful day in Syria as the country’s main cultural and historical city is freed from ISIL after months of living under the terror group’s reign.

Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad told a French delegation visiting him that the recent recapture Palmyra is evidence of the effectiveness of the Syrian army backed by Russia’s support against ISIL compared with what the Syrian president called the lack of seriousness in the work of the U.S.- led coalition fight against the militant group.

Later in the day, Assad got a call from Russian president Vladimir Putin in which he thanked his Russian counterpart for air force support against ISIL and vowed to rebuild the historic city.

As the government enjoys its latest victory against the terrorist group, the Syrian army is at a crossroads, recapture ISIL’s self- proclaimed capital in Al-Raqqa or advance towards the oil- rich city of Deir al-Zour where a Syrian government garrison along with over 200,000 civilians have been completely cut off from the rest of the world.

Regardless of the next army target, one thing is for sure, that ISIL has been dealt a painful blow in Syria. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said three weeks of fighting killed over 400 militants.