The well-preserved city of Palmyra remains one of the most important cultural centres in the ancient world, known for its unique blend of Graeco-Roman and Persian influences.

ISIS extremists on Friday executed 23 civilians, including nine children, near Syria’s ancient city of Palmyra, a monitor said.

“The Islamic State group executed by gunfire 23 civilians, including nine children, in the village of Amiriyeh, north of Tadmor,” said the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman.

He told Agence France-Presse that family members of government employees were among those killed near Palmyra, also called Tadmor in Arabic, as the jihadists closed in on the UNESCO world heritage site.

The well-preserved city of Palmyra remains one of the most important cultural centers in the ancient world, known for its unique blend of Graeco-Roman and Persian influences.

On Thursday, the monitor also reported that the militants executed 26 civilians after the group overran villages near the ancient city.

Earlier on Thursday, the radical group battled Syrian troops near ancient Palmyra, threatening the UNESCO world heritage site with destruction like that which it has already wreaked in Iraq, the monitoring group said.

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