Pursuits

Islamic State Seizes Control of Palmyra, Ancient Syrian City

Islamic State Advances in Syria and Iraq

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Islamic State militants seized control of Palmyra, a city in northern Syria that’s home to one of the region’s most renowned classical sites, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The fate of Syrian army units defending the town wasn’t immediately clear, the U.K.-based watchdog said in an e-mailed statement. The Observatory had reported the capture of northern parts of Palmyra by the jihadists earlier on Wednesday.