The group calling itself Islamic State (ISIL) says it has taken full control of the historic Syrian city of Palmyra including its military bases. <br /><br /> It is the first time ISIL has taken a city directly from from forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and his army.<br /><br /> Now there are fears ISIL may destroy Palmyra’s Roman ruins and temples. The group caused uproar over its destruction of ancient sites and relics in Iraq. <br /><br /> Palmyra’s 2,000-year-old monuments were put on UNESCO’s World Heritage in danger list in 2013.<br /><br /> The EU’s foreign policy chief has expressed fears that thousands of people living in the city are now at risk as well as the cultural sites. <br /><br /> “Mass killings and deliberate destruction of archaeological and cultural heritage in Syria and Iraq amount to a war crime,” Federica Mogherini said in a statement.<br /><br /> The city is a strategic win for ISIL because it’s located on a highway linking government-held Damascus and Homs with the country’s mainly rebel-held east.<br /><br /> British-b
