In Syria’s Desert, the Islamic State’s Shadow Persists

In Syria’s Desert, the Islamic State’s Shadow Persists

Abu Mahmud’s grandson sits beside a rudimentary electric heater. The device crackles in a room lit by LED bulbs. Abu Mahmud, 60, lives in Palmyra, a city that symbolizes the height of the Islamic State group’s power. In 2015, the group seized the city at the peak of its military strength in Syria. It controlled Palmyra for nearly 10 months, destroying ancient sites and using the ruins for mass executions before being driven out. Abu Mahmud left …