PALMYRA (Sputnik) – According to Lt. Qassen Shpib from Syria’s engineer troops, 1,230 mines have been defused in Palmyra.
On March 27, the Syrian army, backed by militias and Russian Aerospace Force, fully liberated Palmyra, which was under the control of Daesh for about a year.
The officer stressed however, that Syrian specialists will not be able to clear all residential buildings and apartments in the city of Palmyra of hidden explosives without help from their Russian colleagues.
"We have already gained experience but right now we have a major problem – the de-mining of houses and apartments where militants left shahid [martyr] belts and explosives. We are waiting for help from our Russian colleagues to work on that," Lt. Qassen Shpib said.
On March 27, the Syrian army, backed by militias and Russian Aerospace Forces, fully liberated Palmyra, which was under the control of the Daesh militant group for about a year.
Russia has deployed several groups of specialists and de-mining robots to assist Syrian experts in clearing bombs and land mines left by Daesh militants in their retreat from the historic city. The first group of Russian mine experts arrived at the Hmeimim air facility in Latakia on Thursday.
According to Lt. Qassen Shpib, Daesh militants planted bombs at the entrance to Palmyra prior to their retreat.
"The terrorists dug up pits in the concrete, placed mines into them, and poured concrete over. We had to detonate all that. There were also mines that the militants were setting off remotely," Shpib said.
Prior to its recapture, Palmyra was under the control of Daesh militants since May 2015.
The city, located in Syria’s Homs Governorate, was first documented in the early second millennium BC. It is a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Site.
