PALMYRA WATCH: Isis slaughter in the sacred Syrian city of Palmyra: The survivors' stories. We’ve heard about the threat to the monuments - but what about the human tragedy? In nearby Hayan, above oil and gas deposits of Syria’s desert, Robert Fisk hears from some of the few who escaped the invading Isis jihadis (The Independent). This is about the horrific human cost of the ISIS occupation rather than about the ruins, although it does include some good photographs of the ruins.
Background here, here, here, and links.