Islamic State group seizes control of Syria’s ancient town of Palmyra
Islamic State group seizes control of Syria’s ancient town of Palmyra
BEIRUT — Islamic State extremists captured the ancient Syrian town of Palmyra after government defense lines there collapsed Wednesday, a stunning triumph for the group only days after it captured the strategic city of Ramadi in Iraq.
It was unclear by nightfall how close to Palmyra’s famed archaeological site the militants had advanced, activists said, adding that Syrian soldiers were seen fleeing the area.
The ruins at Palmyra are one of the world’s most renowned historic sites and there were fears the extremists would destroy them as they did major archaeological sites in Iraq. The UNESCO world heritage site is famous for its 2,000-year-old towering Roman-era colonnades and other ruins and priceless artifacts. Before the war, thousands of tourists a year visited the remote desert outpost, a cherished landmark referred to by Syrians as the “Bride of the Desert.”
The fall of the town to the Islamic State group after a week of fighting was an enormous loss to the government, not only because of its cultural significance, but because it opens the way for the extremists to advance to key government-held areas, including Damascus and the Syrian coast to the south and southwest, as well as the contested eastern city of Deir el-Zour to the east.
Next to it are also important gas and oil fields in the country’s central region.
Hillary Rodham Clinton confidant Blumenthal subpoenaed by House Benghazi panel
WASHINGTON (AP) — A longtime confidant of Hillary Rodham Clinton has been subpoenaed to testify before a special House panel investigating the deaths of four Americans at the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, according to an official familiar with the probe.
This official, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said the subpoena was issued by the panel headed by Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C. The official declined to be identified publicly because he wasn’t authorized to discuss by name an investigation still in progress.
The panel has “a number of questions” for Sidney Blumenthal, the official said, including whether he had any business arrangements that led him to send emails to Clinton and other officials concerning Libya while Clinton was secretary of state. Blumenthal was not an employee of the State Department at the time.
Clinton had initially been expected to testify this week on the September 2012 attacks that killed four Americans, including U.S. ambassador Christopher Stevens, but her testimony was put off after Gowdy complained that he lacked the necessary State Department documents to thoroughly question her. Clinton, who is seeking the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, was in Iowa Tuesday for a campaign appearance.
Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, ranking Democrat on the panel, issued a statement Wednesday assailing the committee’s GOP leadership for its handling of the subpoena.
By wire sources