ISIS News Today 2017: Islamic Terrorists Lose Palmyra Again
Syrian government forces and their Russian backers scored a victory by completely recapturing Palmyra from the Islamic State (IS). The terror group considers important the ancient city where they destroyed its monumental ruins to demonstrate their vision of a strictly religious caliphate.
The recapture began with heavy offensives on Wednesday that sent the enemy retreating in multiple locations. Militants planted mines before withdrawing which prevented soldiers from entering the evacuated areas. A statement by the Syrian government thanked the Russian Air Force for helping them in the operation.
Oddly enough, the statement did not give credit to the United States' contribution. Citing records from the U.S. Central Command, The Washington Post reported that the U.S. army conducted a total of 45 airstrikes on Palmyra in February. The targets consisted of IS fighting units, tanks, storage facilities and command centers.
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This is the second time that the Syrian and Russian coalition forces had to recover Palmyra in the past two years. IS seized the city for the first time on May 2015 and held it for 10 months. It was liberated on March 2016 only to be controlled again by jihadists in December while the Syrian army shifted its attention to the battle in Aleppo.
Noted for its monumental architecture and colonnaded streets, Palmyra is considered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as a heritage site. However, ISIS regards the city's artifacts to be idolatrous and blew up a number of historic sites.
Among the historically significant structures destroyed were the 2,000-year-old temple of Baalshamin, the 1,800-year-old Arch of Triumph, and the Temple of Bel. They also looted the national museum and the famed necropolis, and conducted public executions at the famous Roman stone amphitheater.
But while the government and army celebrate the development as a major victory, Syrian opposition representatives are not as optimistic. "It is the second time that we see this handover and this is obviously being used for political reasons," Reuters quoted chief opposition negotiator Nasr al-Hariri as saying.
