Special to WorldTribune.com

After seizing Palmyra on May 20, Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) now controls 50 percent of Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

“There are no forces to stop them [entering the ruins],” Observatory director Rami Abdurrahman said. “But the important thing also is they now control 50 percent of Syria.”

A Twitter post by ISIL followers on May 20 said the group was in full control of Palmyra, including its military installations and that Syrian forces left many of their dead behind after fleeing.

The taking of Palmyra marked the first time ISIL seized a city directly from Syrian and allied forces.

Capturing Palmyra is a significant strategic gain for ISIL as it sits on a highway linking Damascus with the nation’s eastern provinces and, to the west, Homs.

The Observatory said ISIL’s area of control spans from Palmyra to Raqqa and Deir Ezzor in the west that makes up some 95,000 square kilometers.

ISIL also controls much of the country’s electricity supply after taking Arak and al-Hail gas fields.

Palmyra fell just days after ISIL claimed Ramadi, the capital of Iraq’s Anbar province, dealing a major blow to the U.S.-led coalition.

  ISIL now said to control 50 percent of Syria’s landmass, Islamic state, Palmyra, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights