ISIS retakes ancient Syrian city of Palmyra

Islamic State (ISIS) fighters retook Palmyra over the weekend, storming back into the ancient Syrian city it lost control of in March. A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said many of the ISIS militants who now occupy the city had fled a U.S.-backed offensive underway in Mosul, Iraq. ISIS first entered Palmyra in May 2015 and destroyed numerous architectural sites and cultural artifacts that dated back to Bible times. Russian-backed Syrian forces took the city this spring, but were forced to retreat this past weekend. Mohammed Hassan al-Homsi, a native of the city who runs Palmyra News Network, said today that ISIS detained many people during the offensive. Osama Khatib, a Palmyra native who fled to Turkey years ago, said contact was lost with some 100 families who fled the fighting.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.