Complete Control Established Over Palmyra, Terrorists Suffer Serious Damage

Complete control has been established over Syria's Palmyra, the Russian General Staff said on Wednesday, adding that terrorists are suffering serious damage.

"In a month and a half, the [Syrian] government forces <…> completely destroyed a Daesh terror group, advanced more than 60 kilometers and established complete control over Palmyra. The terrorists suffered serious damage," Rudskoy said.

A multi-level control system, which has been deployed in Syria, allows Russia to control entire Syrian airspace, according to the statement.

"In order to supervise military operations, a multi-level control system has been deployed in Syria. This gives the command of Russian forces the opportunity to control the airspace over the entire territory of Syria from the Hmeymim airbase," Rudskoy said.

"Daesh, Jabhat al-Nusra [former name of Jabhat Fatah al-Sham terrorist group] militants maintain fierce resistance, demonstrating their readiness for a dragged-out war," chief of the Main Operational Directorate Col. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy said at the VI Moscow Conference on International Security.

In May 2015, Daesh militants took hold of Palmyra, one of the most important centers of ancient civilization in the world.

In March 2016, the Syrian army managed to liberate the city, but extremists captured Palmyra for the second time in December 2016.

Finally, on March 2, the Syrian government forces regained control over Palmyra with the support of the Russian Aerospace Forces operating in Syria.