The city of Palmrya. Yahoo/AFP.
The ancient city of Palmrya, Syria, is under threat from ISIS militants. Yahoo/AFP. The Syrian government is sending reinforcements to the city to protect it and its thousands of residents from the Islamic State. Fresh troops and airstrikes are being deployed to protect the city. Palmyra was founded 4000 years ago and still has Greek and Persian ruins from the 1st and 2nd century.
The new ISIS offensive in the area has already resulted in casualties for both the Syrian government and ISIS. At least 28 civilians have been executed as well, including 10 who were beheaded after being accused of "collaborating with the regime". Around 100,000 civilians and refugees live in and around the city of Palmrya, also known by its Arabic name of Tadmur. The Syrian government has lost the city of Palmrya before but the rebels that held it did not hold the radical iconoclastic beliefs that ISIS has. It is to be assumed that if the group were to capture the city they would raze the ruins or steal the artifacts to sell overseas.
My Comment:
I'm not sure what is more outrageous. The fact that 4,000 years of history could be destroyed by ISIS or the fact that they are threatening the lives of 100,000 people. Either way ISIS taking this city would be a very bad thing. After all, ISIS is already executing civilians in Syria and they have made a point to destroy history time and time again. There is little question what would happen if they managed to take the city.
And that's the question. Can ISIS take Palmyra? It seems possible. The Syrian regime is reeling right now. With the loss of Idlib to Al-Nusra, and a series of other victories, it seems clear that the Syrian military is on the defensive. The regime is talking about sending troops to help Palmyra, but I wonder if they have any to spare.
Also, Palmrya is in the center of Syria, far from the regime strongholds in the West. It is also in a salient that appears to be surrounded by three sides by ISIS forces. Though the town is important strategically, after all it was built on a crossroads, the Syrian regime may decide to withdraw from the area. As bad as losing Palmrya would be for the regime, and indeed the world, they could lose the war if they don't sacrifice it.
As far as I can tell there aren't any other groups in the area that could fight ISIS in the area. There aren't many other rebel groups around and it is far from the Kurdish regions in the north. Even the al-Nusra front is far away, though it seems clear that they would only be marginally better.
With the regime the only option to defend Palmrya and with the regime being stretched so thin, it seems clear that ISIS has a decent chance of taking the city. What happens then? First there will be yet another refugee crisis to deal with, as many civilians will flee the city. Then there will be a purge by ISIS where they will punish those who helped the regime or are "un-Islamic". Finally, ISIS will destroy, damage or loot the ruins of Palmrya.
The attack on ruins, tombs, artwork and other archaeological wonders is one of ISIS's greatest crimes. Thousands of years of history are at risk, and many of the sites they have razed are unique and priceless. Many of the sites were not fully excavated, so who knows how many ancient secrets are now lost forever.
Finally, there was a lot of talk in the United States about how publishing cartoons mocking Muhammad was disrespectful to Islamic culture. But some cultures need to be mocked. Not all, or even most Muslims are iconoclasts like ISIS are. And even Christianity technically forbids "graven" images. However, modern life is completely incomparable with people that forbid certain images that are claimed to be disrespectful for God or Muhammad. Indeed, even something as simple as a tomb is blasphemy for someone in ISIS. I'm going to make a value judgement here and say anyone that destroys history or kills someone over a drawing, be they Muslim, Christian or anything else is not only wrong, but evil and should be fought wherever they are found.
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