Islamic State militants have seized the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria, which is included in the UNESCO world heritage list.
According to to the source, Syrian government forces and their allied militias withdrew from Palmyra to avoid fighting in the historic part of the city. The majority of the city's civilian population had been evacuated before the withdrawal, RIA Novosti noted.
Some time ago, Agence France Press reported with reference to the Syrian Observatory monitoring group that militants had seized the city. This information was not officially confirmed by the local authorities.
