Syrian government troops have retaken and established full control of the ancient city of Palmyra from that hands of ISIS
Military sources said that after days of heavy fighting and with the backing of Russian airstrikes, the army is in full control of Palmyra, both the ancient site and the residential neighborhoods
President Bashar al-Assad hailed the recapture of Palmyra from the Islamic State as an “important achievement” in the “war on terrorism”.
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President Assad said the recapture of Palmyra showed the success of the army’s strategy.
Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Assad, a Kremlin spokesman said, adding that President Assad knew the Palmyra operation “would have been impossible without Russia’s support”.
RFERL reports:
State television said on March 26 that the army — backed by Russian airstrikes — seized the district of Al-Amiriya on the edge of Palmyra.
It came a day after government troops and allied militias drove IS militants out of the symbolic old citadel overlooking the west of Palmyra.
Television footage from the citadel on March 26 showed a soldier waving a Syrian national flag by the medieval castle walls.
Palmyra, a city with famous Roman-era ruins, was seized by the extremist group in May 2015.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported fighting inside Palmyra overnight.
It said IS militants killed at least 10 soldiers in counterattacks, including car bombings, earlier in the day.
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Video Shows Battle for Palmyra
USA Today reports:
Syrian government forces recaptured an historic citadel in Palmyra from the extremist Islamic State group on Friday
