Palmyra: Pictures show Syrian soldiers playing football in historic city's rubble

Pro-Assad troops celebrate taking back control of the historic city from Isis

Pictures have emerged of Syrian pro-government soldiers celebrating the recapture of the ancient city of Palmyra by playing football in the streets.

Still wearing their rifles on their shoulders and dressed in combat gear, Assad's troops stopped to play a game after forcing Isis out of the city after three weeks of intense fighting.

The army officially took "complete control" of the city on Sunday, backed by Lebanese Hezbollah militants and Russian air strikes in what was the biggest defeat for the terror group so far.

Syrian soldiers were recorded playing football while still in their combat gear (AFP)

The Russian Kremlin called the recapture of the city "an important and historic victory" and said Moscow had restored the potential of the Syrian army.

Syrian soldiers celebrate recapturing Palmyra (AFP)

Isis originally captured the city, which is an UNESCO World Heritage site, in May 2015 and reportedly forced its citizens to flee with it to the other territory it holds.

Over 400 Isis fighters were killed in the battle to recapture the city, according to Rami Abdulrahman, the director of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Assad's forces recaptured the city on Sunday following three weeks of intense fighting (AFP)

One of the first journalists to see the liberated city told BBC Radio 4: "It was like a city of ghosts, we did not see a single family in the town.

"It's not completely clear, but it's understood Isis forced the residents out of the town and forced them to flee with them."

Witnesses describe a 'city of ghosts' as Isis forced Palmyra's residents to flee with them (AFP)

Syria's antiquities chief, Maamoun Abulkarim, estimated 80 per cent of the historic ruins in the city remained intact - including the impressive Roman era ampitheatre that the terror group used to carry out their executions.

He said he had a team who were committed to painstakingly restoring the rest but warned it would take "five years".

Two of Palmyra’s most famous structures, including the 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel, have been almost completely destroyed.

The group also appears to have destroyed a dozen of the city’s best-preserved tower tombs, as well as the shrine of Baal Shamin.