Monitors: ISIS Kills 17 Captives in Palmyra

Slain Reportedly Included Captured Syrian Troops

According to monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, ISIS has killed at least 17 people captured during the fall of the city of Palmyra (Tadmur in Arabic).

The slain are said to have included both Syrian troops and civilians seen as “pro-government,” and at least some of the slain were reportedly beheaded.

These 17 executed by ISIS are in addition to 49 others the Observatory reported ISIS to have killed during their advance toward the ancient oasis city.

The fate of Palmyra’s residents is unclear, as the UN is claiming “credible sources” told them the Syrian military forced civilians to remain there. The UN isn’t actually in Palmyra, however, and other reports had suggested that the city was almost entirely evacuated in the week leading up to its capture.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.