Azernews.Az

By Kamila Aliyeva

The Syrian army announced that it has recaptured the ancient city of Palmyra from ISIL for the second time in a year with help from allied forces and Russian warplanes.

The IS terrorists seized Palmyra in a surprise advance in December 2016 after having been driven out eight months before.

"With backing from the Syrian and Russian air forces, units of our armed forces recaptured the city of Palmyra, in cooperation with the allies," the military said in a statement.

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has already reported to the commander-in-chief, President Vladimir Putin, that the historic city in Syria’s Homs province has been liberated, RIA Novosti reported referring to Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov.

Syrian Army specialists have begun examining the historic part of Palmyra with the aim of demining the city, a RIA-Novosti correspondent reports.

Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was one of the most important centers of the Roman Empire. Palmyra fell under the control of Islamic State militant groups from mid-May 2015 with the terrorists blowing up several historic monuments, including the 1,800-year-old Monumental Arch of Palmyra, most of the Temple of Bel, and the Temple of Baalshamin.

After a two-week operation, Syrian army liberated the city in the end of March 2016 with the support of Russian ASF. However, the city was retaken by IS in a counteroffensive in December 2016, which forced the Syrian Army to retreat, evacuating 80 percent of the population.

Earlier, on March 2, the Syrian military took the strategic al-Tar heights near the city of Palmyra.

Armed conflict continues in Syria since March 2011. Government troops are confronted by militants of different armed rebel groups. Russia has begun airstrikes on terrorist facilities in Syria since 30 September 2015. The Russian military involvement follows an official request from President Bashar Assad to President Vladimir Putin.

The UN has repeatedly tried but failed to end the Syrian conflict, which has killed 300,000 and displaced 11 million since it began five years ago.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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