Syrian Army Kills 70 Daesh Militants in Battle East of Palmyra - Source

The Syrian army and allied militia took full control of the Haya mountain range east of Palmyra, killing at least 70 Islamic State (Daesh) militants in the past 24 hours, a source in the command of the Syrian Armed Forces in Palmyra told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.

PALMYRA (Sputnik) — Last week, the Syrian army accompanied with patriotic militia group Desert Falcons finished the first stage of their offensive to drive radical Islamists from the ancient city of Palmyra.

"The militia from the Desert Hawk Brigade directed by the Syrian Air Force and the artillery completely took control of the Haya mountain range…. and took control over a strategic crossroads on the road Palmyra — Damascus — Deir ez-Zor. About 70 Daesh militants were been killed in a single day," the source said.

Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, when mass anti-government protests against President Bashar Assad escalated to an armed confrontation between government troops and allied militia on the one hand, and Syrian opposition factions and radical Islamists on the other.

The Desert Falcons, or the Desert Hawk Brigade is an armed branch of the Syrian Arab Army fighting on the side of the Syrian government.

Palmyra has been under Daesh control since May 2015. The jihadist group, which is outlawed in many countries, including Russia and the United States, has already destroyed part of the ancient city, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.