Russian and Syrian forces retake Palmyra from Isil

Syrian government troops have retaken Palmyra from Islamic State forces, with help from Russian air support, the Syrian army said in a statement on Thursday. Politicians in Russian welcomed the news as a triumph, as widely reported by the states media, but few details have emerged about the condition of the ancient site, where Isil has previously wreaked large-scale destruction.
Konstantin Kosachev, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Russias upper house of Parliament, told the RIA