The Current

ISIS under pressure as Syria recaptures Palmyra, Iraq targets Mosul

The Syrian army of President Assad has retaken the ancient city of Palmyra even as the Iraqi army moves closer to retaking Mosul from ISIS. Today The Current focuses on how the strategies there play into security decisions elsewhere.
Forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad walk with their weapons in Palmyra city after they recaptured it, in Homs Governorate, March 27, 2016. (Reuters/Sana)

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Outside Palmyra, Syria, government forces moved in March 27, 2016, with the help of Russian air support to take back control of the city from the grip of ISIS. The jihadist group first seized Palmyra in May 2015.

The defeat of ISIS at Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage archeological site, was the latest in a string of defeats for the group. 

A banner belonging to the Islamic court of the Islamic State is seen on the ground after forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad recaptured Palmyra city, March 27, 2016. (Sana/Handout via Reuters)

And even as ISIS lays claim to recent deadly attacks in Brussels, portions of its  of their self-declared Middle East caliphate are slowly being clawed back.

So how is ISIS likely to act next?

The Current's guests look into the ISIS tactics and how they play into security decisions. 

Guests in this segment:

  • Zeina Karam, Associated Press's news director for Lebanon and Syria.
  • Malcolm Nance, executive director of the Terror Asymmetrics Project and author of  Defeating ISIS.'
  • Christian Leuprecht, a professor of Political Science at the Royal Military College of Canada and also a professor at Queen's University

This segment was produced by The Current's Shannon Higgins and Julian Uzielli.