Syria army retakes ancient Palmyra from IS

Syrian regime fighters take position as they advance to retake the ancient city of Palmyra, from Islamic State (IS)(AFP)

BEIRUT AFP March2, 2017- Syrian troops backed by Russian jets completed the recapture of the historic city of Palmyra from the Islamic State group Thursday, the Kremlin said, in another blow to the jihadists.    Bolstered by air strikes and ground troops from their ally Moscow, Syrian government forces battled through the desert for weeks to reach Palmyra.   

The oasis city has traded hands several times during Syria’s six-year civil war and become a symbol of IS’s wanton destruction of priceless cultural heritage in areas under its control.   

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu informed President Vladimir Putin of Palmyra’s recapture, a Kremlin spokesman told news agencies in Moscow.