Syrian troops - in cooperation with Popular Defense forces - recaptured on Sunday the famed ancient city of Palmyra from the so-called ’Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’ (ISIL) takfiri group.

Syrian troops - in cooperation with Popular Defense forces - recaptured on Sunday the famed ancient city of Palmyra from the so-called 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' (ISIL) takfiri group and destroyed the last stronghold of ISIL in a major victory over the terrorists.

Army sappers were defusing mines and bombs planted by ISIL in the city's ancient ruins, a UNESCO world heritage site where the terrorist gunmen sparked a global outcry with the systematic destruction of treasured monuments.

"After heavy fighting during the night, the army is in full control of Palmyra -- both the ancient site and the residential neighborhoods," SANA quoted a military source as saying.

ISIL terrorists pulled out, retreating towards the towns of Sukhnah and Deir Ezzor to the east. They used Palmyra's ancient amphitheatre as a venue for public executions, including the beheading of the city's 82-year-old former antiquities chief.

The oasis city's recapture is a strategic as well as symbolic victory for President Bashar al-Assad, since it provides control of the surrounding desert extending all the way to the Iraqi border.