In Pictures: Palmyra, ancient Semitic city in Syria

The ancient city of Palmyra was damaged by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group during its 10-month occupation from October 2015. Hours after Syrian troops confirmed on Sunday (March 27) that they had recaptured the Unesco world heritage site, fresh images of Palmyra showing the extent of its destruction have emerged. President Bashar al-Assad hailed the victory as an "important achievement" as his Russian counterpart and key backer Vladimir Putin congratulated Damascus for retaking the historic Semitic city.

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