DAMASCUS: Syrian forces strengthened their hold on Palmyra on Monday and pushed forward against the militant 1slamic State group (1S)after dealing it a major blow by retaking the ancient city.

The country`s antiquities chief said the treasured monuments damaged by the militants could be restored in five years, but a UN expert cast doubt on the estimate.Backed by Russia, government fighters overran Palmyra onSunday morning af ter nearly 10 months of IS rule.

President Bashar al Assad hailed the victory as `fresh proof of the efficiency of the Syrian army and its allies in fighting terrorism`.

Meanwhile, the government forces turned to nearby IS-held towns.

`The army was concentrated around Al Qaryatain, and today the military operations began there,` a military source in Palmyra said. `That is thenext goal for the Syrian army. They also have their eyes on Sukhnah` towards the northeast, the source said.

Army sappers were still working to defuse roadside bombs and mines that the IS had planted before it retreated.

One soldier said more than 50 bombs had been disarmed.Antiquities chief Maamoun Abdulkarim said that with Unesco support, his department would need five years to restore the monuments destroyed by the IS.-AFP