Syrian army says has liberated Palmyra from Daesh terrorists

The Syrian army says it has fully liberated Palmyra from the grip of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, marking the second recapture of the ancient city.

In a statement released on Thursday, the Syrian army announced that the government forces were in control of Palmyra after a series of military operations and with the help of Russia’s air cover as well as "allied and friendly troops.”

The announcement came after the Kremlin said the Syrian military, backed by Russian aircraft, had managed to fully retake the city.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu informed President Vladimir Putin of the completion of the Palmyra operation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying. 

Additionally, Russian lawmaker Andrey Krasov said the Daesh flag had been removed from the historic oasis city, adding, “It should be viewed as a joint success of the Russian Air Force and the Syrian military. Shortly, the whole territory of Syria will be liberated from the terrorists.”

Meanwhile, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which is sympathetic with foreign-backed militants, said Daesh terrorists had completely retreated from Palmyra.

Daesh "has fully withdrawn from Palmyra, but the Syrian army is still clearing neighborhoods of mines and has not spread out into the whole city yet," said SOHR Director Rami Abdel Rahman.

Earlier on Thursday, Syria’s official SANA news agency said army units had established control over the Palmyra Citadel, the Communications Hill and the Dedeman Palmyra after inflicting heavy losses on Daesh terrorists.

Separately on Thursday, Russia accused the Riyadh-based High Negotiations Committee (HNC), Syria's main opposition group, of disrupting the Geneva talks.

"The results of the first days of the intra-Syrian dialogues, as before, raise questions over the ability of the Syrian opposition representatives to reach a deal," said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova. 

HNC's refusal to cooperate on an equal footing with two Russian-backed opposition groups meant that it was "de facto sabotaging the full dialogue with both the Syrian government delegation and with other opposition groups," she added. 

SS