Reuters: Syrian army pushes into Palmyra amid heavy bombardment
Syrian government forces advanced into Palmyra on several fronts on Saturday with support from air strikes and artillery bombardment, state media and a monitoring group said, and live television showed waves of explosions inside the city.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights described it as the heaviest assault yet in a three-week campaign by the Syrian army and allied militia fighters to recapture the desert city from Islamic State fighters.
Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman said Syrian soldiers and allied militias had taken control of one-third of Palmyra, mainly in the west and north, including parts of its ancient Roman-era ruins. Soldiers were also fighting on a southern front, he said.
State-run television also said the army was advancing inside Palmyra, recapturing several neighborhoods.
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More News On The Battle for Palmyra
Syria army seizes town north of Palmyra: Reports -- AFP
Palmyra: Syria forces 'enter Islamic State-held city' -- BBC
Syrian forces battle IS inside Palmyra -- AP
Syrian Army, Daesh Engaged in Fierce Battles in Palmyra -- Sputnik
WNU Editor: Concerns are rising on how much of this ancient city has been destroyed (see below).
The battle for Palmyra will reveal how much damage was done to Syria's priceless relics (L.A. Times)
Drone footage shows the blood-stained ruins of Palmyra after Assad's Syrian army recaptures the ancient Roman city from ISIS (Daily Mail)
Syrian Antiquities Agency Plans to Start Restoring Palmyra in April (Sputnik)
2 comments:
Go SAA!!!
On another note, this should be much bigger news than it currently is in "the west".
https://www.rt.com/news/337252-sas-libya-king-abdullah/
Laszlo,
If you're out there, tell me what you think. I can't discern if the Palmyra thing is move by Putin for political purposes or if it's a serious move on Deir-ez-Zour. At first glance you would think that the Iraqi move on Mosul and this action around Palmyra are coordinated, but I'm not so sure. Putin has had some trouble with Assad and Iran (the Iranis do not want any permanent Western presence in this area), and this plus the pull out might be his way of saying "or else".
Bottom line, the Syrians can take Palmyra, but holding it is another story. The Mosul offensive is a joke. The Iraq's have no political entity you could call Iraqi to fight for, it's either Shia militia, Iranian IRG, or nothing. Regardless of surreptitious US air and ground support.
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