Off the wire
• Urgent: China, Peru agree on feasibility study on transcontinental railway  • Roundup: 21st Century Maritime Silk Road matches very well with Brunei's economic diversification drive  • French Open leading seeds warn against writing off Nadal  • Urgent: UN Security Council slams "violent seizure" of Syria's ancient city  • Portuguese soccer league result  • Portuguese soccer league standings  • Xinhua world news summary at 0000 GMT, May 23  • 2 men charged in California for supporting ISIS  • Roundup: U.S. stocks end slightly lower on Yellen's speech  • 6.9 magnitude quake rattles off Solomon Islands: USGS  
You are here: 　 Home

1st LD: UN Security Council slams "violent seizure" of Syria's ancient city

Xinhua, May 23, 2015 Adjust font size:

The UN Security Council on Friday "strongly condemned the ongoing barbaric terrorist acts" by the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, including its violent takeover of Palmyra, an ancient city in Syria.

The members of the Security Council expressed "deep concern for the thousands of Palmyra residents inside the city, as well as for those displaced" as a result of IS's advance, the 15-nation council said in a statement.

"The members of the Security Council call for the safe passage of civilians fleeing the violence, and reaffirms that the primary responsibility to protect its populations lies with the Syrian authorities," said the statement.

The IS has consolidated its grip on the historic city of Palmyra and other swaths of territory in eastern Syria, fresh from its decisive victory over forces loyal to the Syrian government.

IS militants in Syria have entered the World Heritage site of Palmyra after seizing the town next to the ancient ruins, reports said.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said its destruction would be "an enormous loss to humanity," but no damage has been reported there yet. Endi