1st LD: IS withdraws from Palmyra as Syrian army sweeps in

The Islamic State (IS) group withdrew from the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria on Thursday, as the Syrian army swept into the city following intense battles, a monitor group reported.

The Syrian government forces were sweeping the city in search of mines and explosive devices, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The London-based watchdog group said that explosions were still being heard inside the city due to the large number of explosives and bombs.

The Syrian army backed by Russian air forces and fighters of the Lebanese Hezbollah group unleashed a counter offensive to retake the city on Jan. 14 this year, just days after the IS militants took the city for the second time.

Last December, the group stormed the city for the second time after losing it nine months earlier to the Syrian army.

Palmyra contains monumental ruins of a great city, one of the most important cultural centers of the ancient world.

The IS militants blew up several 2,000-year-old monuments and relics in Palmyra during their first and second invasion of the city in 2015 and late 2016. Endit