Syrian army retakes Palmyra from ISIS

[defcon4]

I prefer rebels or IS victory over Assad and then Kurd Government in north Syria on the way.

It is a good thing you really do not have much say so in the matter. Deposing heads of states did not work out too well lately.

 

[Militants]

I prefer rebels or IS victory over Assad and then Kurd Government in north Syria on the way.

Why the Kurds?

Newsletter from network.

 

[Stratford57]

Russian military advisers played an “active” role in planning the operation to free the ancient city of Palmyra from jihadists, while over 2,000 airstrikes conducted to support Syrian ground troops did not damage a single historic structure, Moscow says.

“Between March 7 and March 27 the Russian Air Force supported Syrian government units near Palmyra, conducted around 500 sorties and delivered over 2,000 airstrikes against ISIL,”Lt. Gen. Sergey Rudskoy, head of operations at the Russian General Staff reported. He stressed that “no structure of historic value in Palmyra was damaged by the Russian Air Force.” Russian military advisers “took a direct and active role in planning the operation,” Rudskoy said.

Russian warplanes helped Syrian artillery and air forces suppress the defenses of the city, which IS had turned into a fortress since capturing it in May 2015. The militants had considerable strength and prepared an elaborate system of fortifications, the general said.

“By the beginning of March the militants had over 4,000 fighters, at least 25 tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, over 20 artillery pieces and rocket launchers, over 50 mortars, some 100 guided anti-tank missile launchers, over 50 off-road cars with heavy weapons mounted on them. The terrorists also had more than 10 trucks rigged with explosives and manned by suicide bombers and a number of drones,”he said.
Military advisers, 2K pinpoint airstrikes: How Russia helped free Palmyra from ISIS
******
Moscow is disappointed to see that some Western countries refuse to salute the retaking of the Syrian city of Palmyra from Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) and questions their true goals in Syria, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

The reaction coming from some western countries following the defeat of Islamic State in Palmyra by Syrian government forces with help from Russia was muted or outwardly dismissive, Maria Zakharova said in a weekly briefing on Thursday.
London ‘tries to downplay’ Damascus and Moscow’s role in liberating Palmyra – Russian FM spox
********

A 25 year old from Orenburg, Aleksandr Prokhorenko, has been revealed as the serviceman, dubbed ‘Russian Rambo’ by international media, who died a hero. He called a strike on himself while surrounded by Islamic State during a battle near Palmyra.

“He was very open-minded, loved life… It seems only yesterday they celebrated their wedding. A year and a half passed. You can’t imagine how happy he was! So in love,” Orenday cites Aleksandr’s friends as saying.

“For a long time Katya did not know where he was sent. He didn’t want to upset her. She was sure that he served in the Caucasus, but then it turned out he was sent to Syria. Now she sleeps with a photograph of her beloved Sasha.”

Hundreds of people from various Russian cities - relatives and friends of the deceased hero – are waiting for the official burial date, in order to come to town and lay him to rest.

Russian SOF teams have been on the ground in Syria since the Russian anti-IS operation started last September. Aleksandr Prokhorenko is the fifth Russian serviceman killed during the Syrian deployment, along with Air Force pilot Oleg Peshkov, shot while in the air after ejecting from an Su-24 bomber downed by Turkey. Marine soldier Aleksandr Pozynich was also killed during the search operation to rescue the surviving Su-24 pilot.

The names of the two other deceased Russian servicemen – Ivan Cheremisin and Fedor Zhuravlev – only became known to the public at a ceremony in March at the Kremlin, when President Vladimir Putin presented military awards and decorations to those involved in the Syrian operation. The president said the servicemen who sacrificed their lives in the fight against terror “remained committed to their duty until the end.”
25yo father-to-be revealed as ‘Russian Rambo’ who died fighting ISIS in Palmyra

 

[montelatici]

He was an O-2, First Lt..

 

[irosie91]

Why do you have this crazy idea that the secular Syrian government is more dictatorial than the Sunni governments that impose Islamic law and oppress non-Sunnis? Why do you think the Syrian Christians support the government?

I know lots of Syrian Christians in the US who DO NOT SUPPORT THE BAATHIST PIG------Assad

 

[defcon4]

He was an O-2, First Lt..

Seems like artillery scout/forward observer (if those are cannons on his epaulettes) trained in directing air strikes also.

 

[Hossfly]

He was an O-2, First Lt..

Seems like artillery scout/forward observer (if those are cannons on his epaulettes) trained in directing air strikes also.

I met Bill Carpenter in Vietnam in June '66. He was one of my football heroes at USMA, the famous "Lonesome End", All American. My Battalion flew to his location and secured his perimeter after he had called airstrikes on his own company.


In April 1965 the 1st Brigade was deployed to Vietnam to relieve the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Instead as the war expanded, both units stayed. 2/502 quickly made a name for itself under the command of the flamboyant LTC Hank "The Gunfighter" Emerson. Emerson went on to retire as a lieutenant general after command of XVIII Airborne Corps.

In June 1966 during Operation Hawthorne, Charlie Company, 2d Battalion, 502d Infantry Regiment was conducting a mission to locate elements of the North Vietnamese 24th Regiment. Charlie Company made contact with what was estimated to be a battalion-sized enemy element. Under heavy enemy fire and unable to maneuver in any direction, CPT William Carpenter called for air strikes on top of his position in an attempt to force the enemy to withdraw. "We might as well take some of them with us", he radioed to the 2nd Battalion command post.[citation needed] The napalm attack injured seven of Carpenter's men, but the enemy ceased fire long enough to allow Charlie Company to consolidate, reorganize and establish a position from which to defend and begin evacuation of wounded personnel. 1SG Walter Sabalauski, a WWII and Korea vet, played a critical role in the defense. For their extraordinary heroism in destroying the enemy and in evacuating the mass casualties, both Carpenter and Sabalauski received the Distinguished Service Cross. The Fort Campbell Air Assault School was named in Sabalauski's honor. Carpenter, despite a West Point football career ending with All-American honors that had two NFL teams awaiting his return from Vietnam, elected to stay in the Army and retired with three stars. Another member of 2/502 was CPT Tommy Taylor, son of General Maxwell Taylor, who wanted to serve with his father’s wartime command. Starting with Scout Platoon, and moving on to command of B Company, he left the Army, went to law school, and retired as a colonel in the Reserves

502nd Infantry Regiment (United States) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Moonglow]

No doubt the citizens are overjoyed to be ruled once again by the brutal dictator Assad. ......

Here come the barrel bombs...

 

[Stratford57]

Fleeing the ancient city of Palmyra, which they failed to obliterate but turned into a delayed-action minefield, the few surviving ISIS jihadists left behind a trace of bureaucratic paperwork documenting 10-months of a reign of terror.

The Syrian army continues to stumble on mine-laden buildings as most of the neighborhoods in the city were booby-trapped with explosives.

“During our offense we encountered several explosive devices that were hidden in the ground that were supposed to be activated in an electro-mechanical way once you pass through them,”a soldier from the engineer corps said.“The explosion was designed to engage infantry and combat vehicles traveling on unpaved roads.”

Besides infesting approaches to the city with mines, residential quarters were also trapped with explosives, which turned the whole town into a huge“delayed action mine.”

“At least 3,000 explosive devices were installed in the city,”the sapper explained. He said ISIS created an almost invisible interconnected network, partially hidden under hard paved roads, which could blow up the entire city.

One of the two independent triggers is manual and can be activated by an ISIS agent. The second one is automatic and was connected to the urban grid to set off series of explosions as soon as the electricity supply returns.

The Syrian security forces were able to save the city of Palmyra after receiving intelligence just in time to prevent detonation. The army also sent out special interference signal to prevent terrorist from setting off the chain reaction.

Syrian Army engineers are working day and night trying to unearth the explosives left behind not only on the roads but in residential buildings and historical monuments. They hope that by removing the danger, peaceful life can fully return to the city.

Russia is also deploying sappers, equipped with Uran-6 robots and special armored personnel carriers, to help the Palmyra mine-sweeping effort.

Homs Province Governor Talal Barazi described the infrastructure damage done by the terrorists in Tadmur as“very large,”with electricity, telephone communications and water supply suffering the most.

Palmyra booby-trap: ISIS had 3,000 bombs rigged, ready to level entire city with one click

 

[Sally]

Russian military advisers played an “active” role in planning the operation to free the ancient city of Palmyra from jihadists, while over 2,000 airstrikes conducted to support Syrian ground troops did not damage a single historic structure, Moscow says.

“Between March 7 and March 27 the Russian Air Force supported Syrian government units near Palmyra, conducted around 500 sorties and delivered over 2,000 airstrikes against ISIL,”Lt. Gen. Sergey Rudskoy, head of operations at the Russian General Staff reported. He stressed that “no structure of historic value in Palmyra was damaged by the Russian Air Force.” Russian military advisers “took a direct and active role in planning the operation,” Rudskoy said.

Russian warplanes helped Syrian artillery and air forces suppress the defenses of the city, which IS had turned into a fortress since capturing it in May 2015. The militants had considerable strength and prepared an elaborate system of fortifications, the general said.

“By the beginning of March the militants had over 4,000 fighters, at least 25 tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, over 20 artillery pieces and rocket launchers, over 50 mortars, some 100 guided anti-tank missile launchers, over 50 off-road cars with heavy weapons mounted on them. The terrorists also had more than 10 trucks rigged with explosives and manned by suicide bombers and a number of drones,”he said.
Military advisers, 2K pinpoint airstrikes: How Russia helped free Palmyra from ISIS
******
Moscow is disappointed to see that some Western countries refuse to salute the retaking of the Syrian city of Palmyra from Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) and questions their true goals in Syria, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

The reaction coming from some western countries following the defeat of Islamic State in Palmyra by Syrian government forces with help from Russia was muted or outwardly dismissive, Maria Zakharova said in a weekly briefing on Thursday.
London ‘tries to downplay’ Damascus and Moscow’s role in liberating Palmyra – Russian FM spox
********
View attachment 69637
A 25 year old from Orenburg, Aleksandr Prokhorenko, has been revealed as the serviceman, dubbed ‘Russian Rambo’ by international media, who died a hero. He called a strike on himself while surrounded by Islamic State during a battle near Palmyra.

“He was very open-minded, loved life… It seems only yesterday they celebrated their wedding. A year and a half passed. You can’t imagine how happy he was! So in love,” Orenday cites Aleksandr’s friends as saying.

“For a long time Katya did not know where he was sent. He didn’t want to upset her. She was sure that he served in the Caucasus, but then it turned out he was sent to Syria. Now she sleeps with a photograph of her beloved Sasha.”

Hundreds of people from various Russian cities - relatives and friends of the deceased hero – are waiting for the official burial date, in order to come to town and lay him to rest.

Russian SOF teams have been on the ground in Syria since the Russian anti-IS operation started last September. Aleksandr Prokhorenko is the fifth Russian serviceman killed during the Syrian deployment, along with Air Force pilot Oleg Peshkov, shot while in the air after ejecting from an Su-24 bomber downed by Turkey. Marine soldier Aleksandr Pozynich was also killed during the search operation to rescue the surviving Su-24 pilot.

The names of the two other deceased Russian servicemen – Ivan Cheremisin and Fedor Zhuravlev – only became known to the public at a ceremony in March at the Kremlin, when President Vladimir Putin presented military awards and decorations to those involved in the Syrian operation. The president said the servicemen who sacrificed their lives in the fight against terror “remained committed to their duty until the end.”
25yo father-to-be revealed as ‘Russian Rambo’ who died fighting ISIS in Palmyra[/QUOTE

May he rest in peace. It is very sad when you see a promising young man die. Too many young men have died in the service of their country.

 

[IsaacNewton]

I saw some of what they destroyed on tv. What a loss to the world. Structures from Roman times.

I say right now, all that shite they've dug up in the middle east the last 100 years, bury it again so these inhumans can't find it.

 

[Stratford57]

The Syrian Army is unearthing a mass grave consisting of at least 40 corpses, many of them women and children. They were butchered by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in the recently liberated ancient city of Palmyra.

So far the army has recovered 25 corpses. Among those killed by IS were three children and five females. As the excavation proceeded, 15 more corpses were unearthed – all of them women and children. Initial examination of the bodies revealed that some of the victims had been beheaded while other had been brutally tortured before their deaths. The army continues to excavate the mass grave, fearing that more bodies may be found.
Palmyra mass grave: Tortured women & children among dozens of ISIS victims unearthed by Syrian Army

 

[Stratford57]

After several days of heavy assault fighting, Syrian government troops and local militia have retaken the town of Al-Qaryatayn from ISIS. Al-Qaryatayn had been held by terrorist groups since late August. The liberation of the city proclaimed April 3 came days after ISIS was pushed out of the ancient city of Palmyra, 100km (60 miles) to the east.

With the ancient city of Palmyra now retaken, pro-government forces are pressing ahead with their campaign to cut off IS supply routes through the oil and gas-rich desert around the city.

Al-Qaryatayn looks totally deserted - no sign of the hundreds who IS reportedly kidnapped there.

Al-Qaryatayn used to have a large Christian population. Now the signs of IS persecution are quite visible.

The jihadists apparently used a bulldozer to partially destroy St Elias Monastery, which dates back more than 1,500 years. Human bones from ancient graves are strewed amidst the rubble.

Inside the monastery there is an Assyrian church and all Christian symbols in it have been destroyed. In the church graveyard, the gravestones have been trashed and all the crosses removed.

There is not one building left in Al-Qaryatayn that has escaped damage from the fighting.

In the meantime Syrian forces, with the help of Russian sappers, are working to de-mine the city of Palmyra, the taking of which is being held up as both a strategic and symbolic win in the battle against the jihadists.

After IS seized Palmyra last May, they not only demolished objects of world heritage, but rigged the entire ancient city with explosives, leaving behind thousands of mines before their retreat.

Russian mine clearance specialists are now scanning the ancient complex in search of explosives. Over 100 mines have already been defused.
Churches burnt, cemeteries desecrated: RT visits liberated town of Al-Qaryatayn, Syria

Also ISIS militants have reportedly used poisonous gas in an attack on a Syrian military airbase located in Deir Ez-zor, the largest city in the eastern part of the country
ISIS launches chemical weapons attack on Syria’s airbase in Deir Ez-zor – report

 

[Bleipriester]

Also ISIS militants have reportedly used poisonous gas in an attack on a Syrian military airbase located in Deir Ez-zor, the largest city in the eastern part of the country
ISIS launches chemical weapons attack on Syria’s airbase in Deir Ez-zor – report

After two years of constant failed assaults on the air base, thousands of ISIS corpses must stud the perimeter of the base.

 

[Bleipriester]

Residents of Palmyra will be allowed to return home by tomorrow. For those who have no car, buses will go by April 9th. 55.000 of the 70.000 residents managed to get out of Palmyra before ISIS captured the city in 2015.

www.almasdarnews.com/article/civilians-allowed-return-palmyra-thursday-government/

 

[Stratford57]

I prefer rebels or IS victory over Assad and then Kurd Government in north Syria on the way.

Holy shit.

I think Assad and Syria are very lucky to have such a friend like Putin. Unlike the majority of current Western leaders Putin always keeps his promises, never gives false ones and never lets his friends down. He’s a reliable friend and inconvenient opponent. Since Washington started the war in Syria trying to remove Assad, Putin kept saying same thing: “Nobody have rights to decide the fate of Syria and its president, but Syrian people”. On the contrary, Washington kept repeating ”Assad has to leave”. So just a few days ago, answering journalists’ questions, John Kirby finally admitted: “It must be up to the Syrian people to decide the fate of Assad.” Bravo, Putin!

Putin: “We believe that only Syrians can choose their leaders, establish their government standards and rules.
But first, it is necessary to work together on a constitution and a procedure to oversee possible future elections. It must be a transparent procedure that everyone trusts. Based on these democratic procedures, Syria will decide which form of government is the most suitable and who will lead the country.”
Vladimir Putin’s annual news conference

During a Monday press briefing, Toner lied, saying “(w)e believe that a political process that reflects the desires and will of the Syrian people is what should ultimately decide the future leadership and the future government of Syria” - then contradicting himself, adding: “We believe (Assad) is not legitimate (nor) a legitimate future leader for the country.”
SteveLendmanBlog: Ousting Assad Remains Official US Policy

 

[Bleipriester]

I prefer rebels or IS victory over Assad and then Kurd Government in north Syria on the way.

Holy shit.

I think Assad and Syria are very lucky to have such a friend like Putin. Unlike the majority of current Western leaders Putin always keeps his promises, never gives false ones and never lets his friends down. He’s a reliable friend and inconvenient opponent. Since Washington started the war in Syria trying to remove Assad, Putin kept saying same thing: “Nobody have rights to decide the fate of Syria and its president, but Syrian people”. On the contrary, Washington kept repeating ”Assad has to leave”. So just a few days ago, answering journalists’ questions, John Kirby finally admitted: “It must be up to the Syrian people to decide the fate of Assad.” Bravo, Putin!

Putin: “We believe that only Syrians can choose their leaders, establish their government standards and rules.
But first, it is necessary to work together on a constitution and a procedure to oversee possible future elections. It must be a transparent procedure that everyone trusts. Based on these democratic procedures, Syria will decide which form of government is the most suitable and who will lead the country.”
Vladimir Putin’s annual news conference

During a Monday press briefing, Toner lied, saying “(w)e believe that a political process that reflects the desires and will of the Syrian people is what should ultimately decide the future leadership and the future government of Syria” - then contradicting himself, adding: “We believe (Assad) is not legitimate (nor) a legitimate future leader for the country.”
SteveLendmanBlog: Ousting Assad Remains Official US Policy

Yeah, but I am getting tired of all this post-war future nonsense. There will be elections next week and the people can decide, period. What about the constitution? What´s wrong with it? It grants all political freedoms. Aren´t there more important things to do? And what´s all the war on terror worth if the terrorists achieve in Geneva what they failed to achieve on the Syrian battlefields?
Putin, isolated and condemned, still tries to appease, to please the US Regime. That isn´t working out. There are no shades of gray in this issue and Putin wins nothing as the sanctions aren´t lifted and the support for terrorism isn´t declining. Putin´s support for Syria is genuine and important but the political schmear starts to annoy.
What concessions could the Syrian government make to terrorist groups in Geneva? None.

 

[Stratford57]

Speaking about Syria peace talks in Geneva:

The Islamist group Jaysh al-Islam admitted to using chemical weapons against Kurdish militias in Aleppo. It also uses human shields and publishes execution videos – yet it has a delegation at the UN-backed Syria peace talks in Geneva.

Jaysh al-Islam (Army of Islam), formerly known as Liwa al-Islam (Brigade of Islam), is a coalition of Salafist Islamist militant groups based in the Douma and Eastern Ghouta neighborhoods of the Syrian capital Damascus.

Jaysh al-Islam is one of the two major militant groups in Syria supported by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and is part of a larger coalition called the Islamic Front. The coalition seeks to make Syria a country ruled by sharia law, exactly what its rival Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) aims to achieve.

5 facts about Jaysh al-Islam, group that used chem weapons in Syria & has delegate at UN peace talks

 

[Bleipriester]

Here is the story of the latest ISIS attack on the Deir Ezzor air base. ISIS managed to enter but was ultimately pushed back.

"We were able to contact our team member in Dair al-Zoor military airport and got the following update:

When ISIS first attacked, the units withdrew from number of the pints they were stationed at after destroying two ISIS suicide trucks. SyAAF was there to cover the withdrawal, and then conducted extensive airstrikes on the positions where the Syrian Army withdrew and ISIS managed to enter.

By the time the airstrikes were over, the withdrawn forces regrouped and counterattacked the locations to retake them.

At the end, over 100 ISIS terrorists were killed, and all the points were retaken and secured.

We will try to get pictures when possible."

Syrian Arab Army

 

[Stratford57]

The Russian military have given access to journalists from 11 countries to the liberated Syrian city of Palmyra. Moscow noted the absence of American journalists in the group.

Noticeably absent among the group were journalist from the US, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov noted. He said that four US-based media outlets cancelled their accreditation requests on the eve of the trip, “as if they were following an order.”.

The military success in Palmyra was met with muted response by officials in the US and some of its allies, who, Moscow said, tried to downplay its importance.
NewZSentinel | Streaming Alternative Media

*****
The defense Ministry has shown the Russian and foreign journalists of Russian sappers demining of the Syrian Palmyra. Now this world heritage monument is in fairly poor condition and is literally Packed with explosives.

Now almost all of historic Palmyra-belted red-and-white ribbons warning that the exit for them could have very serious consequences. The city is literally full of shells, mines, improvised explosive devices.

About one hundred experts are now working in the ancient city, daily picking from hundreds of steel splinters.Russian sappers to clear the historical part from mines and shells will take around a month. Thrown here by the best specialists and the most modern equipment.

Here’s the latest in the distance, dusty robot-sapper “Uranium 6”. Their trawls he’s shoveling piles of rubble and earth, in search of a deadly bookmarks. Between the ruins of Palmyra, listening through metal detectors every inch of the ground, gently moving people dressed in heavy protective suits olive green. Almost every day they are extracted from the land, around 150 explosive devices. As a rule, these unexploded shells, mines and improvised explosive devices.

Now explosions in the city heard almost every 10-15 minutes. Russian sappers find the bookmark and destroy them on the spot.
Russian sappers Palmyra give a new life | The Newspapers