Syria: Army clears IS bombs, mines at Palmyra

Nearly a week after the Syrian army recaptured the ancient city of Palmyra, it has started clearing bombs and landmines planted by the Islamic State.

Commanders in the zone have so far detonated about 500 mines in urban areas and efforts are underway to discover others.

“As you can see, they planted two to three mines after every 100 meters. The mines were laid to impede the advancement of the government force,” Munzer, a commander of the Syrian army said.

Syrian army officials said the mines were planted with advanced technology.

Yet another group of Russian sappers are on their way to #Palmyra to help clear the city of mines / #Syria pic.twitter.com/dSzpbBJn4G— Rus Embassy in RSA (@EmbassyofRussia) April 2, 2016

“They planted the mines and explosives in a very novel way. The explosives were laid under stones, on the streets and even trees. They were also put in office rooms or under the bodies of the dead,” the commander said.

Palmyra was recaptured by government forces on March 27, nearly a year after it was taken by the Islamic State. The militant group has over the period destroyed many cultural relics in the ancient city.

Heavy military airstrikes from Russia weakened the terrorist group and encouraged the Syrian army to launch attacks.

IS is gradually retreating across Syria and Iraq, abandoning the vast territories it once controlled.

President Assad sees the liberation of Palmyra as an important achievement and has been congratulated by Russia’s Vladimir Putin for the significant victory.