Tuesday 29 March 2016

TENTERA Syria tawan semula Palmyra dari ISIS . . .



ADtv @JamaliahYusofyacob Tentera kerajaan Syria telah diambil semula bandar purba Palmyra dari Negara Islam (IS). Tentera kini bertujuan untuk menggunakan bandar padang pasir sebagai "launchpad" untuk mengembangkan operasi terhadap kumpulan pengganas.

Presiden Syria Bashar Assad berkata, kemenangan itu membuktikan kejayaan strategi tentera dalam memerangi keganasan.

"Pembebasan bandar bersejarah Palmyra hari ini adalah satu pencapaian yang penting dan satu lagi petunjuk kejayaan strategi yang dikejar oleh tentera Syria dan sekutu-sekutunya dalam perang menentang keganasan," katanya kepada delegasi Perancis pada Ahad, menurut TV Syria.

"Pasukan kami telah menubuhkan kawalan penuh bandar dan mengejar baki kumpulan-kumpulan berundur pengganas Negara Islam (IS)," kata kepimpinan tentera Syria dalam satu kenyataan, seperti yang dipetik oleh TASS.

Seorang pegawai tentera Syria memberitahu RT bahawa persediaan untuk operasi mengambil lebih sebulan, dan melibatkan kerjasama dirancang dengan tentera Rusia.

"Matlamat utama adalah untuk melancarkan serangan untuk merebut kembali ketinggian dan kawasan-kawasan berhampiran Palmyra. Semalam (Sabtu) kami berjaya merampas kubu Palmyra purba. Kemudian persiapan untuk merebut kembali bandar Palmyra sendiri telah dijalankan. Daesh (IS) pengganas meletupkan jambatan yang menuju ke kubu. Itulah sebab mengapa tentera darat di bawah perlindungan meriam dan kereta kebal api memasuki bandar dari utara dan dibebaskan daerah ini, "kata pegawai itu.

Komander unit Desert Falcons tentera Syria memberitahu RT bahawa "operasi ketenteraan untuk merebut kembali Palmyra berlangsung selama 3 hari," sambil menambah bahawa "Kesukaran utama adalah bahawa terdapat banyak lombong di sepanjang jalan."

"Hari ini Tentera Arab Syria adalah penjelasan lombong," katanya.

Tentera arahan umum menyatakan bahawa Palmyra sekarang akan menjadi "launchpad untuk mengembangkan operasi ketenteraan" terhadap kumpulan di Raqqa dan Deir Ezzor, Reuters melaporkan.

Baca lebih lanjut: Operasi untuk membebaskan bersejarah Palmyra dari ISIS Read More: Operation to free historic Palmyra from ISIS

ADALAH pejuang dilaporkan berundur dari Palmyra - terletak 215 kilometer (133,5 batu) dari ibu negara Syria Damsyik - kepada kota-kota Sukhnah, Raqqa, dan Deir Ezzor.

Dalam satu kenyataan yang dibacakan di televisyen Syria, arahan tentera berkata bagi merampas kembali Palmyra menandakan permulaan kejatuhan Negara Islam (IS, yang sebelum ini ISIS/ISIL). Ia berkata, kejayaan itu membuktikan bahawa kerajaan Syria dan sekutu-sekutunya adalah satu-satunya pasukan yang mampu mengalahkan keganasan di negara ini.

Arahan seterusnya berkata bahawa tentera dan sekutunya akan terus kempen mereka menentang IS, Al-Nusra Front, dan "kumpulan pengganas yang lain."

Pada hari Ahad, Presiden Rusia Vladimir Putin mengucapkan tahniah kepada Assad pada pengambilan balik Palmyra dari IS. Kedua-dua mengadakan perbualan telefon di mana Putin menegaskan kepentingan memelihara Tapak Warisan Dunia UNESCO.

Putin menambah bahawa "tentera Rusia akan terus membantu pihak berkuasa Syria dalam usaha anti-pengganas," kata jurucakap Kremlin Dmitry Peskov.

Kementerian Pertahanan Rusia berkata pada Ahad bahawa lebih 80 militan terbunuh dalam serangan udara Rusia yang melanda 117 kemudahan tentera pengganas di kawasan Palmyra.

"Rusia Tentera Udara dijalankan 40 sorties ke kawasan Palmyra dalam tempoh 24 jam," Pusat Rusia untuk Perdamaian di Syria berkata. Ia menambah bahawa 8 bangunan pusat arahan, 12 asas, 2 kereta kebal, 3 unit meriam, 8 kenderaan dan 6 gudang peluru telah musnah dalam serangan.

Baca lebih lanjut: Putin mengucapkan tahniah kepada Assad di membebaskan Palmyra, berkata Rusia untuk membantu dalam bandar purba Read more: Putin congratulates Assad on liberating Palmyra, says Russia to aid in demining ancient city

Sebelum ini dilaporkan bahawa pasukan Tentera Syria telah mara ke bandar pada hari Sabtu, dengan sokongan daripada serangan udara Rusia.

Rakaman televisyen menunjukkan letupan berlaku di dalam Palmyra, dengan asap naik dari bangunan. Kereta kebal dan kereta perisai dipecat dari pinggir bandar.

Pembebasan Palmyra adalah 'titik perubahan' dalam perang terhadap ISIS

Bagi merampas kembali Palmyra menandakan pembalikan terbesar bagi IS sejak campur tangan Rusia ke Syria.

Komander Desert Falcons mengucapkan terima kasih kepada Rusia untuk kemenangan, mencatatkan bahawa Moscow "membantu negara kita dan tentera kita terhadap Daesh (ISIS) dan penyokongnya."

Menyedari kepentingan Palmyra, wartawan Neil Clark memberitahu RT yang mempunyai kawalan ke atas bandar adalah "amat penting."

". . . Ia di lebuh raya utama, jenis sama jarak antara Damsyik dan Deir Ezzor . . . tentera Syria mempunyai [sekarang] mendapat rangsangan utama dalam penjelasan IS keluar dari jalan yang seluruh Syria, di mana [IS militan masih berada] , "katanya.

Pemikiran yang bergema oleh penganalisis politik Talib Ibrahim, yang memberitahu RT bahawa "lokasi Palmyra adalah kunci kepada [kawasan] lain" dan bahawa "tentera Syria boleh [sekarang] pergi untuk Raqqa atau Deir Ezzor."

"Saya rasa ini adalah satu titik perubahan sebenar dan pencapaian strategik yang sangat penting," katanya.

Clark berkata kejayaan itu datang kurang daripada 6 bulan selepas campur tangan Rusia di Syria, menyeru tindakan Moscow "permainan changer."

Bekas duta Amerika Syarikat ke Rusia Michael McFaul menulis sebarang tweet "terima kasih" di Rusia berikutan laporan menawan semula kerajaan Syria berjaya Palmyra.

Kota purba, yang disita oleh IS bulan Mei 2015, adalah sebuah Tapak Warisan DUNIA UNESCO. Ia adalah rumah kepada berpuluh-puluh monumen yang kuno luar biasa, dan beberapa tempat bersejarah yang telah dimusnahkan oleh jihadis IS kerana mereka tawan bandar, antaranya ialah yang berusia 2,000 tahun Temple of Bel dan Arch of Triumph.

Pada hari Sabtu, ketua kerajaan Syria antik, Mamoun Abdelkarim, berkata pihak berkuasa akan cuba untuk memulihkan tempat bersejarah.

"Kami akan membina semula mereka dengan batu-batu yang kekal, dan dengan ruang yang tinggal," Abdelkarim kepada Reuters, sambil menambah bahawa pasukannya akan "membawa kehidupan kembali ke Palmyra."

Walau bagaimanapun, Giovanni Boccardi Kesediaan Kecemasan UNESCO dan Unit Response memberitahu RT bahawa ia masih tidak jelas apa yang boleh dipulihkan atau diselamatkan.

"Kami sedang melihat lamannya dan kita telah melihat rakaman bandar kerana ia kelihatan hari ini, dan ia kelihatan bahawa mungkin ada banyak kemusnahan daripada apa yang kita harapkan, jadi ia adalah penting sekarang untuk dapat pergi ke sana dan untuk menjalankan jumlah penilaian sebaik sahaja keadaan keselamatan akan membenarkan, "katanya.

"Mana-mana jenis aktiviti penyelamat akan perlu menunggu sehingga terdapat keamanan di atas darat. Ia akan menjadi sangat rumit, "katanya, mencatatkan laporan media bidang saya.

Tetapi peguam antarabangsa dan pengarang 'Warisan Terancam Syria,' Franklin Lamb, memberitahu RT bahawa dia yakin bahawa laman yang bersejarah Palmyra boleh sebahagian besarnya dipulihkan.

"Saya meramalkan bahawa antara 90 dan 95 % peratus daripada semua kerosakan yang ADALAH telah dilakukan untuk Palmyra boleh dipulihkan" dengan teknologi, katanya.

"Pasti, ada akan menjadi timbunan puing dan anda tidak boleh mengembalikan setiap batu cara ia ... tetapi anda boleh memulihkannya dan itulah matlamat utama ... jadi saya sangat yakin bahawa pemulihan boleh dibuat."


Operasi untuk merebut kembali bandar datang selepas tentera kerajaan dengan bantuan tentera Rusia dan Amerika Syarikat, berjaya merampas beberapa bukit dan pandangan mata  tinggi di seluruh Palmyra (The operation to retake the city comes after the government military, with the assistance of Russian and US forces, managed to seize several hills and high vantage points around Palmyra) © Mikhail Voskresenskiy

Tentera kerajaan Syria sedang bergerak untuk tawan bandar purba Palmyra, tapak warisan DUNIA UNESCO, dari kuasa-kuasa IS (Syrian government troops are moving to capture the ancient town of Palmyra, a UNESCO world heritage site, from the IS forces) © Maher Al Mounes

Pada hari Ahad, sumber-sumber tentera Syria memberitahu AFP bahawa mereka adalah "dalam kawalan penuh Palmyra - kedua-dua tapak purba dan kawasan-kawasan perumahan kediaman (On Sunday, Syrian army sources told AFP that they are “in full control of Palmyra – both the ancient site and the residential neighborhoods)" © Mikhail Voskresenskiy

Sumber tentera Syria berkata pencari ranjau telah meredakan "berpuluh-puluh bom dan periuk api yang ditanam di dalam tapak purba (The Syrian army source also said that sappers were defusing “dozens of bombs and mines planted inside the ancient site)” © Mikhail Voskresenskiy

ADALAH jihadis telah didakwa berundur dari Palmyra kepada kota-kota Sukhnah, Raqqa dan Deir Ezzor(IS jihadists have allegedly retreated from Palmyra to the towns of Sukhnah, Raqqa and Deir Ezzor) © Stringer

Operasi itu dibuat selepas pesawat perang Rusian dijalankan 158 serangan udara, menyasarkan lokasi pengganas di dalam dan di sekitar bandar, Kementerian Pertahanan Rusia berkata (The operation came after Russian warplanes conducted 158 airstrikes, targeting terrorist locations in and around the city, the Russian Defense Ministry said) © SANA

Lebih 100 jihad terbunuh dalam pengeboman itu, dan beberapa keping senjata berat musnah (Over 100 jihadists were killed in the bombardment, and some pieces of heavy weaponry were destroyed) © Stringer

Angkatan Aerospace Rusia telah menjalankan 40 serangan mengejut di rantau Palmyra, "kata kenyataan yang disiarkan di laman web rasmi dibaca Kementerian Pertahanan, sambil menambah bahawa" akibat . . . 4 buah kereta kebal, 3 keping meriam, 4 depot peluru, dan 5 buah kenderaan telah dimusnahkan “(Russian Aerospace Forces have carried out 40 sorties in the Palmyra region,” a statement published on the Defense Ministry’s official website read, adding that “as a result … four tanks, three artillery pieces, four ammunition depots, and five vehicles were destroyed)” © Mikhail Voskresenskiy

Ketua UNESCO Irina Bokova menyambut baik langkah untuk menawan semula bandar legenda dari ISIS, mengatakan bahawa tentera jihad telah memusnahkan banyak tapak-tapak purba monumen (UNESCO chief Irina Bokova welcomed the step to recapture the legendary city from ISIS, saying that jihadist forces had destroyed a lot of the ancient site's monuments) © Stringer

Antik pegawai kerajaan Syria, Mamoun Abdel Karim, berkata pihak berkuasa akan cuba untuk membina semula tempat bersejarah yang dimusnahkan oleh ISIS "dengan batu-batu yang kekal, dan dengan ruangan baki (The Syrian government’s head of antiquities, Mamoun Abdelkarim, said the authorities would try to rebuild the historic sites destroyed by ISIS “with the stones that remain, and with the remaining columns)” © Mikhail Voskresenskiy


pro-kerajaan tentera Syria isyarat sebelah citadel Palmyra pada 26 Mac 2016, semasa operasi ketenteraan untuk merebut kembali bandar purba dari jihadis Negara Islam (IS) (Syrian pro-governement forces gesture next to the Palmyra citadel on March 26, 2016, during a military operation to retake the ancient city from the jihadist Islamic State (IS) group) © Maher Al Mounes



Syrian army retakes Palmyra from ISIS

Syrian government forces have retaken the ancient city of Palmyra from Islamic State. The army now aims to use the desert city as a "launchpad" to expand operations against the terrorist group.

Syrian President Bashar Assad said the victory proves the success of the army's strategy in combating terrorism.

"The liberation of the historic city of Palmyra today is an important achievement and another indication of the success of the strategy pursued by the Syrian army and its allies in the war against terrorism," he told a French delegation on Sunday, according to Syrian TV.

"Our troops have established full control of the town and are chasing the remainder of the retreating gangs of Islamic State terrorists," the Syrian army's command said in a statement, as quoted by TASS.

A Syrian army officer told RT that preparation for the operation took a little over a month, and involved planned cooperation with the Russian military.

“The primary goal was to carry out attacks to retake the heights and regions near Palmyra. Yesterday (Saturday) we managed to seize the ancient Palmyra fortress. Then the preparations to retake Palmyra city itself were carried out. Daesh (IS) terrorists blew up the bridge leading to the fortress. That’s the reason why ground troops under the cover of artillery and tank fire entered the city from the north and freed these districts,” the officer said.

A commander of the Desert Falcons unit of the Syrian army told RT that the "military operation to retake Palmyra lasted three days," adding that the "main difficulty was that there were a lot of mines along the roads."

"Today the Syrian Arab Army is clearing the mines," he said.



The army general command stated that Palmyra would now become “a launchpad to expand military operations” against the group in Raqqa and Deir Ezzor, Reuters reported.


IS fighters have reportedly retreated from Palmyra – located 215 kilometers (133.5 miles) from the Syrian capital Damascus – to the towns of Sukhnah, Raqqa, and Deir Ezzor.

In a statement read on Syrian television, the military command said the recapture of Palmyra marks the beginning of the collapse of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). It said the success proves that the Syrian government and its allies are the only forces capable of defeating terrorism in the country.

The command went on to say that the army and its allies will continue their campaign against IS, Al-Nusra Front, and “other terrorist groups.”

On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Assad on retaking Palmyra from IS. The two held a telephone conversation during which Putin stressed the importance of preserving the UNESCO World Heritage Site.



Putin added that “Russia’s forces will continue to help the Syrian authorities in their anti-terrorist efforts,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that over 80 militants were killed in Russian airstrikes which hit 117 terrorist military facilities in the Palmyra area.

“Russian Air Forces carried out 40 sorties to Palmyra’s area within 24 hours,” the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria said. It added that eight command center buildings, 12 bases, two tanks, three artillery units, eight vehicles, and six ammunition warehouses were destroyed in the strikes.


It was previously reported that Syrian Army forces had advanced into the city on Saturday, with support from Russian airstrikes.

Television footage showed explosions taking place inside Palmyra, with smoke rising from buildings. Tanks and armored vehicles fired from the outskirts of the city.

Liberation of Palmyra is 'turning point' in war against ISIS

The recapture of Palmyra marks the biggest reversal for IS since Russia's intervention into Syria. 

The Desert Falcons commander thanked Russia for the victory, noting that Moscow "helped our country and our army against Daesh (ISIS) and its supporters."

Noting the significance of Palmyra, journalist Neil Clark told RT that having control of the city is "incredibly important."

“...It's on the main highway, sort of equidistant between Damascus and Deir Ezzor...the Syrian army has [now] got a major boost in clearing IS out of a whole path of Syria, where [IS militants still are]," he said.

That thought was echoed by political analyst Talib Ibrahim, who told RT that "the location of Palmyra is key to other [areas]" and that "the Syrian army can [now] go for Raqqa or Deir Ezzor." 

"I think this is a real turning point and a very important strategic achievement," he said.



Clark noted that the success came less than six months after the Russian intervention in Syria, calling Moscow's action a "game changer." 

Former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul tweeted “thank you” in Russian following a report of the Syrian government's successful recapture of Palmyra. 

The ancient city, seized by IS in May 2015, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is home to dozens of remarkable monuments of antiquity, and a number of historical sites that have been destroyed by IS jihadists since they captured the city, among which were the 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel and the Arch of Triumph.

On Saturday, the Syrian government’s head of antiquities, Mamoun Abdelkarim, said the authorities would try to restore the historic sites.

"We will rebuild them with the stones that remain, and with the remaining columns," Abdelkarim told Reuters, adding that his team would "bring life back to Palmyra."

However, Giovanni Boccardi of UNESCO's Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit told RT that it remains unclear what can be restored or rescued.

“We are looking at the web and we have seen footage of the city as it looks today, and it looks that there might be even more destruction than what we expected, so it is critical now to be able to go there and to conduct a total assessment as soon as the security conditions will allow," he said.

“Any kind of salvaging will have to wait until there is peace on the ground. It will be very complicated,” he said, noting media reports of mine fields.

But international lawyer and author of 'Syria's Endangered Heritage,' Franklin Lamb, told RT that he is optimistic that Palmyra's historic sites can be largely restored.

“I predict that between 90 and 95 percent of all the damage that IS has done to Palmyra can be restored” with technology, he said.

“Sure, there's going to be piles of rubble and you can't restore every stone the way it was...but you can restore it and that's the primary goal...so I'm very optimistic that restoration can be made.”

READ MORE: http://on.rt.com/78ag

PUTIN mengucapkan tahniah kepada Assad 
di membebaskan Palmyra, berkata Rusia untuk membantu dalam bandar PURBA . . .



Presiden Rusia Vladimir Putin mengucapkan tahniah kepada Presiden Syria Bashar Assad di pengambilan balik bandar purba Palmyra daripada pengganas Negara Islam (IS). Putin menegaskan kepentingan memelihara Tapak Warisan Dunia UNESCO.

Baca lebih lanjut: Tentera Syria menawan semula Palmyra dari ISIS Read More: Syrian army retakes Palmyra from ISIS

"Dalam perbualan telefon dengan Presiden Syria, Vladimir Putin mengucapkan tahniah kepada rakan sejawatannya di pengambilan balik bandar Palmyra daripada pengganas dan menyatakan kepentingan memelihara tapak bersejarah ini unik untuk budaya DUNIA," kata jurucakap Kremlin Dmitry Peskov Ahad.

"Putin sekali lagi menegaskan bahawa walaupun penarikan balik sebahagian daripada kontinjen tentera Rusia dari Syria, tentera Rusia akan terus membantu pihak berkuasa Syria dalam usaha anti-pengganas mereka," katanya.

"Assad sangat bernilai bantuan tentera udara Rusia telah disediakan dan menggariskan bahawa kejayaan seperti mendapatkan semula Palmyra mustahil tanpa sokongan Rusia," kata Peskov.

Pada hari Ahad, Tentera Syria ambil semula kota bersejarah Palmyra dari Negara Islam (IS, yang sebelum ini ISIS/ISIL), yang telah diduduki sejak Mei lepas. pesawat perang Rusia telah menyediakan sokongan berat dari udara.

Tentera Udara Rusia telah membuat 40 penerbangan ke seluruh bahagian yang bandar Syria Palmyra dalam tempoh 24 jam lepas, mencecah 117 sasaran dan membunuh lebih 80 militan, Pusat Rusia bagi Perdamaian di Syria berkata Ahad.

Putin turut mengadakan panggilan telefon dengan kepala UNESCO Irina Bokova pada hari Ahad. Peskov berkata Putin memberitahu Bokova bahawa "wakil-wakil kontinjen Rusia akan mengambil bahagian dalam demining bandar purba."

BACA LAGI: Palmyra 'bukan hanya tapak arkeologi tetapi simbol Syria' – UNESCO READ MORE: READ MORE: Palmyra ‘not just an archaeological site but a symbol of Syria’ – UNESCO

Kedua-dua bersetuju bahawa UNESCO, Rusia dan Syria tidak lama lagi akan mengambil langkah yang perlu untuk menilai kerosakan kepada tapak bersejarah dan menetapkan "pelan untuk mengembalikan apa yang masih boleh dipulihkan," kata Peskov.

Menurut jurucakap Kremlin, Bokova mengucapkan terima kasih kepada Putin sumbangan Rusia dan mengesahkan kesediaan UNESCO untuk bekerjasama.

Walaupun merumuskan hasil kempen anti-keganasan 5 bulan Rusia di Syria sebelum ini pada bulan Mac, Putin berharap Palmyra tidak lama lagi akan dikembalikan kepada rakyat Syria. Pada 18 Mac, tentera Rusia berkata, asas yang telah diletakkan untuk mengalahkan IS di Palmyra.

Baca lebih lanjut: Groundwork diletakkan untuk mengalahkan ISIS di Palmyra, Syria - tentera Rusia

Pada masa itu, Tentera Syria telah mengambil kawalan ke atas semua ketinggian dominan dan jalan-jalan utama di seluruh bandar, dan sokongan logistik pengganas 'juga telah terputus, mengikut Sergey Rudskoy, ketua jabatan operasi utama Rusia Ketua Staf.

Palmyra menunjukkan strategi Damsyik lebih berkesan daripada usaha diketuai Amerika Syarikat di Syria - Assad

Memanggil pembebasan Tentera Syria yang Palmyra "Pencapaian penting," Assad memberitahu delegasi ahli-ahli parlimen Perancis melawat Syria pada hari Ahad bahawa kemenangan adalah "bukti baru" bahawa strategi yang sedang diusahakan oleh Damsyik dan sekutu-sekutunya adalah berkesan, mengikut SANA, negeri Syria agensi berita.

Beliau juga menegaskan bahawa kejayaan strategi ini amat ketara apabila dibandingkan dengan pakatan diketuai Amerika Syarikat, yang melibatkan lebih daripada 60 buah negara, tetapi telah mencapai sangat sedikit sejak penubuhannya satu setengah tahun yang lalu, yang mana beliau menyalahkan kekurangan yang kesungguhan dalam memerangi keganasan.

Pakatan diketuai Amerika melancarkan serangan udara di Syria pada September 2014 tanpa kebenaran daripada kerajaan Syria. Damsyik telah berulang kali menggesa campur tangan yang tidak berkesan, berkata ia telah gagal untuk melemahkan pengganas di rantau ini.

Putin congratulates Assad on liberating Palmyra, says Russia to aid in demining ancient city

Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Syrian President Bashar Assad on retaking the ancient city of Palmyra from Islamic State terrorists. Putin stressed the importance of preserving the UNESCO World Heritage Site.


"In a telephone conversation with the Syrian president, Vladimir Putin congratulated his counterpart on retaking the city of Palmyra from terrorists and noted the importance of preserving this unique historic site for world culture," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Sunday.

"Putin once again stressed that despite the withdrawal of the bulk of Russia's military contingent from Syria, Russia’s forces will continue to help the Syrian authorities in their anti-terrorist efforts," he added.

“Assad highly valued the help Russian air forces have provided and underlined that such successes as regaining Palmyra would have been impossible without Russia's support," Peskov said.

On Sunday, the Syrian Army retook the historic city of Palmyra from Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), which had occupied it since last May. Russian warplanes were providing heavy support from the air.

The Russian Air Force has made 40 flights over the area of the Syrian city of Palmyra in the last 24 hours, hitting 117 targets and killing over 80 militants, the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria said Sunday.

Putin also held a phone call with UNESCO head Irina Bokova on Sunday. Peskov said Putin told Bokova that “representatives of the Russian contingent will participate in the demining of the ancient city.”


The two agreed that UNESCO, Russia and Syria will soon take the necessary steps to evaluate the damage to the historic site and map out a “plan of restoring what can still be restored,” Peskov added.

According to the Kremlin spokesman, Bokova thanked Putin for Russia’s contribution and confirmed UNESCO’s readiness to cooperate.

While summarizing the results of Russia’s five-month anti-terror campaign in Syria earlier in March, Putin expressed hope that Palmyra would soon be returned to the Syrian people. On March 18, Russia’s military said that the groundwork had been laid for defeating IS in Palmyra. 


At that time, the Syrian Army had already taken control of all dominant heights and major roads around the city, and the terrorists’ logistical support had also been cut off, according to Sergey Rudskoy, chief of the Russian General Staff’s main operations department.

Palmyra shows Damascus strategy more effective than US-led efforts in Syria – Assad

Calling the Syrian Army’s liberation of Palmyra an “important achievement,” Assad told a delegation of French parliamentarians visiting Syria on Sunday that the victory is “new evidence” that the strategy being pursued by Damascus and its allies is effective, according SANA, Syria’s state news agency.

He also pointed out that the strategy’s success is especially apparent when compared to that of the US-led coalition, which involves more than 60 countries, but has achieved very little since its establishment one and a half years ago, for which he blamed a lack of seriousness in fighting terrorism.

The US-led coalition launched its air campaign in Syria in September of 2014 without permission from the Syrian government. Damascus has repeatedly called the intervention ineffective, saying it has failed to weaken terrorists in the region.

READ MORE: http://on.rt.com/78b3