ISIS driven out from Palmyra by Syrian forces backed by Russian airstrikes

Palmyra is finally freed from the clutches of ISIS by Syrian forces backed by Russian airstrikes - this has been announced by the state media and an opposition monitoring group. Government forces had been on the offensive for nearly three weeks trying to recapture the town that had been captured by ISIS in May and this recapturing brings to an end the reign of terror over a town whose famous 2,000-year-old ruins used to once attract tens of thousands of visitors.
Palmyra used to be affectionately known as the "Bride of the Desert" and was a UNESCO world heritage site.
This has been reported in foxnews.com dated 27 March 2016.

The retaking of Palmyra by Syrian forces marks the latest setback suffered by ISIS - it is coming under mounting pressure on several fronts in Iraq and Syria. Syrian troops are now dismantling explosive booby traps that had been planted by ISIS militants.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has confirmed that the Islamic State lost the town and have added that at least 400 extremists have been killed. Some fighters had withdrawn from Palmyra and moved out toward the town of Sukhna and other areas in the Homs province. SOHM has added that this was the heaviest losses sustained by ISIS in a single battle since its creation.
Russia's defense minister has indicated that Russian jets conducted 40 air sorties near Palmyra and hit 158 targets killing over 100 militants.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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