Russian Combat Engineers To Clear Mines In Palmyra

Russian combat engineers have arrived in the ancient city of Palmyra to clear mines ISIS left behind.

With the help of robots, the Russian sapper units will have to search more than 445 acres in Palmyra for mines, according to the Associated Press. This large area also has booby traps and handmade explosives scattered throughout, making the search for the military mines even more difficult.

Even though the Russian aircraft have largely scaled back on attacking the rebels fighting against the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, the Russian military has by no means taken a back seat in the goings-on in Syria. Palmyra was recaptured by Syrian troops and backed by Russian airstrikes, and Russia has shown it will still fight ISIS and the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front.

Beginning on February 27, a Russian- and U.S.-brokered cease-fire in Syria has largely been respected. The attacks on ISIS and the Nusra Front are excluded from the cease-fire.

In March, about 500 combat missions around Palmyra have been flown by Russian warplanes. They have struck about 2,000 targets and hit some ISIS targets, according to Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of the military’s General Staff.

ISIS held Palmyra for 10 months, but on Sunday that reign came to an end. Before dawn, Il-76 transport planes carrying the Russian engineers who will clear the bombs in Palmyra landed at the Russian air base in Syria.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Syria’s director of antiquities and museums, Dr. Maamoun Abdelkarim, estimates around 300 historical sites and 450 individual buildings are damaged in various conditions throughout Syria. Some may have been damaged because of looting, and some may have been damaged in the war.

Palmyra, an invaluable ancient site, was at the mercy of ISIS. ISIS destroyed the Roman Arch of Triumph, the 2,000-year-old temple of Baalshamin, and other historical places. Dr. Abdelkarim believes most of Palmyra has not been destroyed, and thinks about 80 percent of the city is in decent condition.

However, the anti-Assad Palmyra Revolutionary Coordination Committee issued a statement online that claimed the Russian forces had destroyed much of Palmyra’s infrastructure from bombing before Palmyra was once again turned over to Assad’s forces.

#Russia is destroying our city and civilisatiin
A Statement By #Palmyra Revolution Coordination#SavePalmyra pic.twitter.com/KzDQ2aul4i

— ??????? ????? ???? (@PalmyraRev1) March 22, 2016

Under ISIS control, Dr. Abdelkarim claims ISIS still allowed him to employ 45 people working in Palmyra to preserve heritage.

“Their situation was difficult because they were working under [ISIS] and we had to pay their pensions out nonetheless. They are very loyal and care about preserving our precious heritage. We don’t separate heritage for the government or for the opposition, we assess all heritage.”

ISIS says ancient temples and tombs, such as those at Palmyra, are idolatrous and are not in accordance with their laws. UNESCO has cited “cultural cleansing” by ISIS because they have destroyed invaluable mosques, shrines, and churches in Iraq, Libya, and Syria.

As for the remaining mines left behind by ISIS, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu encouraged other nations to help Palmyra rid itself of the dangerous mines. He believes getting Palmyra back on its feet quickly will benefit the whole operation against ISIS in general because it holds the juncture of major highways.

“The restoration of the Syrian army’s control over Palmyra will make it significantly more difficult for the bandit groups to regroup and move their resources between Syria’s northern and southern regions, and it will also significantly weaken their capability around Damascus and Aleppo,” the Russian Defense Minister said.

“This achievement proves that our brave army, aided by the friends, is the only effective force capable of fighting terrorism and eradicating it,” the Syrian regime said, referring to the Russian military as “friends.”

Fred Hof, once a special adviser for transition in Syria under U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, told Business Insider the attack on Palmyra “marks the beginning of phase two of a Russian military offensive designed to rehabilitate Assad.”

[Photo by SANA via AP Images]