ISIS news: Forces continue clash with rival militants in Damascus; terror group bombs another Palmyra temple
ISIS fighters have stepped on high gear in a large area in southern Damascus, getting into a fierce battle with rival militants a few kilometers from the Syrian capital center, Damascus, on Sunday.
According to CBS News, more than two dozen militants were killed in the battles. The clashes were reported on the edges of the Qadam neighborhood, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in Britain, which holds extensive lookouts on the activists.
Half of Qadam has been captured by ISIS forces according to the pro-ISIS Aamaq News Agency, while the Observatory's Rami Abdurrahman said the fighters took hold of two streets where the fighting was intense.
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Somehow adding to the fire, several ISIS supporters uploaded propaganda pictures that showed the extremists pushing toward the streets of Qadam. While authenticity of the images could not be confirmed just yet, the supporters claim that the photos are that of their fighters.
Meanwhile, a massive explosion on Sunday was reported to have severely damaged the Bel Temple, which is considered to be one of the greatest treasures of the ancient times.
The ISIS have claimed responsibility of bombing the 2,000-year-old temple in Palmyra, according to Fox News.
The sad news came to Palmyra people just days after the Islamic State revealed that they blew up another temple in the ancient ruins, the other 2,000-year-old Baal Shamin, which the people dedicated to their Phoenician god of storms and fertilizing rains.
The temple bombing and the advancement toward Damascus are only some of the attacks laid out by the militants, as earlier this month, witnesses have reported that the terror group has beheaded Khalid al-Asaad, Palmyra's beloved archaeologist who dedicated his entire life studying and tracking the Palmyra antiquities.
The Islamic State is the world's most famous terror group of this generation, imposing its own violent and inhumane interpretation of Islamic faith, and focusing on extinguishing those it deems are "violating" Islamic laws.
The group believes that caring for ancient relics and treasures is promoting idolatry, thus resulting to the bombing of ancient sites.
