ISIS recaptures Palmyra

From Time, an article by The Associated Press about ISIS:

ISIS militants seized the ancient Syrian town of Palmyra on Sunday from government troops despite a wave of Russian airstrikes, a major advance after a year of setbacks in Syria and neighboring Iraq.
Backed by Russian air power, the Syrian government had recaptured Palmyra, home to towering two-thousand-year-old ruins, to great fanfare in March of 2016. But the militants have been steadily advancing in recent days while the government has waged a major offensive against rebels in the northern city of Aleppo.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Palmyra Coordination group said ISIS militants fought their way into the town in a multi-pronged assault, forcing government forces to retreat to the south.
Russia had earlier claimed to have repelled an ISIS attack on Palmyra, saying it had launched over sixty airstrikes overnight that killed three hundred militants. But hours later, the activists said ISIS had seized a castle just outside the town that overlooks its famed Roman-era ruins.
Palmyra was a major tourist attraction before the civil war broke out in 2011. ISIS seized the town last year and held it for ten months. During that time it dynamited a number of temples and destroyed other artifacts.
Over the last year, ISIS has suffered a string of defeats in both Syria and Iraq, losing several towns and cities it had captured in 2014. The group is currently locked in a fierce battle with US-backed Iraqi forces in the northern city of Mosul.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter arrived in Baghdad on Sunday in an unannounced visit to assess the progress of the Mosul battle. He was to meet with American commanders and Iraqi leaders.

Rico says he has a friend who lives in Palmyra, but fortunately it's the one in New Jersey...