March 2, President Putin received from the Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu a report on the completion of the operation to regain Syrian Palmyra. In December, this city, which a the pearl of ancient architecture, came under the control of ISIS terrorists, because at the time Syrian army's main forces were sent to Aleppo. At that moment, it was there where the fate of the whole battle with terrorists in the country was being determined. Now, with the barbarians pushed out of Aleppo, Syria's liberation started gaining speed. It has become possible to return Palmyra and settle there.
The operation took half a month, and was planned under command of Russian officers. As a result, more than a thousand of terrorists were killed, 19 tanks, 37 armored cars, and hundreds of pickup trucks with heavy weapons were destroyed near Palmyra. A decisive contribution during the storming of Palmyra and defeat of ISIS terrorist groups was made by the Russian aviation — attack aircraft and latest Kamov Ka-52 helicopters. This success was predetermined by the Russian Special Operations Forces. We will talk about these very special units later today. Now, our military correspondent Evgeny Poddubny will report on the details of this successful storm and of what is happening in Palmyra today.
The operation to liberate Palmyra began almost immediately after the ancient city was captured by the militants again. Radicals used the fact that the main forces of the Syrian army were involved in the operation to liberate Aleppo. ISIS terrorists were stopped near the Syrian T-4 military base. The situation is stabilized. In fact, it took governmental forces about two months to dislodge the militants from Tadmor, which is the Arabic name of Palmyra, for the second time.
Cleansing of the residential part of Palmyra is complete. There are no terrorists of the so-called Islamic State. But the engineering units of the Syrian army haven’t yet examined the streets, so you can’t go to the wayside and enter the buildings. A year ago, ISIS militants mined almost everything in Palmyra. We still don’t know how it is now.
During an attack of the ISIS militants, Syrian military lost its dominant heights in Palmyra. To regain control over the ancient city, it was necessary to destroy the terrorists who equipped firing points on mountain ridges. The task was difficult, given the fact that the Syrian army didn’t enjoy superiority in manpower. The militants of fake Khalifat transferred groups from Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor to Palmyra. Reserves was sent by the leaders of ISIS from Iraqi Mosul. The soldiers of the Syrian army were supported by the Russian aviation. But not only the pilots provided the conditions for the victory. Counselors and specialists of the Russian Special Operations Forces worked there.
Special Operations Forces is an elite unit of the Armed Forces of Russia. Each fighter is a unique specialist. There are few of such in the world. The Forces are equipped with the most modern machinery and weapons. Largely due to these people, the world can once again see the monuments of ancient Palmyra. "I would like to highlight the actions of the Russian Aerospace Forces, which deprived the enemy of a chance to maneuver and deliver the reserves in time. And actions of the units of the Special Operations Forces of the Russian Armed Forces, which conducted reconnaissance and targeted the most important facilities. Of course, I want to mention unprecedented courage and dedication of ordinary Syrian soldiers, officers, and fighters of the People's Militia units".
Special Operations Forces conduct reconnaissance and indicate targets for the aviation. This video shows the command post of the militants of fake Khalifat being bombed in Palmyra. Ammunition strikes the building directly. Without the support of the Special Operations Forces officers, the Syrian army soldiers and allies wouldn't have been able to regain control over the ancient city. Here, the governmental troops faced a well-trained and equipped troops of ISIS terrorists who were preparing for the confrontation for a long time, skillfully used the terrain to hide from the strikes of artillery and aviation, and had their own tanks and self-propelled artillery.
In the places where the Syrian military couldn’t handle the situation, conditions for the offensive were provided by the Russian experts. Hidden and in the dark, they disrupted the radicals' offensive operations, didn’t allow terrorists to effectively use suicide bombers in cars stuffed with explosives.
Special Operation Forces in action. Officers are monitoring the situation on the battlefield. The information, which they transmit to the control station, allows the commanders to quickly make effective decisions. Militants often don’t even realize where from they are being fired at. The airfield of Palmyra was taken back by the governmental forces the day before. The militants of so-called Islamic State settled a kilometer away. The observers are there. The main forces are located in the village and are preparing for the defend. They are equipping a new fortified area. Soldiers of the Special Operations Forces led the attack aviation to the battlefield and killed terrorists, while they were merely preparing for a counterattack.
Thanks to the experts and commanders of the Special Operations Forces, militants of ISIS couldn’t effectively use tanks near Palmyra, lost key heights, in particular, the one with the ancient citadel, and now they are hastily building defenses to impede the advance of the Syrian army and its allies. In Palmyra, there are no civilians now. Fighting is taking place in the immediate area of the city. This part of the city has been liberated recently. One of the buildings still bears the flag of the so-called Islamic State.
After the ISIS militants took Palmyra for the first time, the world lost unique buildings, such as the Temple of Bel, the Triumphal Arch, which is remembered by almost every Soviet schoolchild, valleys of the tombs. The terrorists damaged the statue of the Lion of Al-Lat. A few years ago, when the militants of the so-called Islamic State took Palmyra for the first time, on this ancient stage they executed soldiers and officers of the Syrian army, which did not have time to drop back. A little less than a year ago, the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra under the direction of Valery Gergiev performed here. That concert was a symbol of the return of Palmyra to the civilized world. In December 2016, the militants of ISIS recaptured the ancient city and almost immediately blasted the stage of the ancient Roman Theater.
Now Palmyra is liberated again, and currently the city is under control of official Damascus. Monuments of global significance are not in danger. Militants also bombed Tetrapylon. The destruction would have been much greater, as professionals think, if it hadn't been possible to efficiently force the militants of fake Khalifat out of Palmyra. Units of the Armed Forces of Syria and troops of the Shiite militia acted, so to speak, directly on the ground and lost their soldiers in the battles for the heights, corners, and neighborhoods of Palmyra. They proved once again that they were able to stop the radicals.
