ISIL responds to pressure with attack in different direction

Washington Post:
ISIS fights its way back into the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra

The militants lost control of the city, site of one of the world's archaeological treasures, nine months ago but now appear to be on the advance again after months of setbacks in Iraq and Syria.
I think the Turks may have helped ISIL by their attacks on the Kurds who have been the only effective force fighting ISIL in that part of Syria.  The attacks are typical of the way ISIL responds to pressure by lashing out in a different direction.  The US had been trying to put pressure on ISIL in Raqqa, but apparently did not have enough local forces to make it work.

Fox News reports that the Syrian and Russian forces who occupied the city have "dissolved."  I suspect that those troops may have been reassigned to the attempt to drive the rebels from Aleppo.  The Syrian army has been fighting on fumes for months and the Russians have committed only a few special ops troops to the ground combat as they try to shape the battle from the air.

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