Russian experts & robots defuse over 1,500 mines in liberated Palmyra (VIDEO)
Russian specialists have defused more than 1,500 explosive devices left by Islamic State militants in the now-liberated Syrian town of Palmyra, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said. New footage shows the experts and formidable de-mining robots doing their jobs.
"Building on the evident success that came with the liberation of Palmyra on March 27, where Russian mine-pickers have already begun demining, as you know, more than 1,500 explosive devices were neutralized,” Maria Zakharova, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said at a briefing, while commenting on the situation in Palmyra.
Zakharova added that the recent military successes of the Syrian Army, including the liberation of the town of Al-Qaryatayn on April 3, will clear the way for it to free the cities of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa – a terrorist stronghold known as the “capital” of Islamic State (IS, ISIS/ISIL).
Using the Russian military’s multi-purpose de-mining robotic complex called Uran-6, engineers have removed over 150 bombs from the historic part of Palmyra, the Russian Defense Ministry’s press service reported on Wednesday.
READ MORE: First-hand look at ancient site of liberated Palmyra (VIDEO)
“A unit of an international anti-mine center of the Russian Armed Forces started minefield clearance near the ancient site of Palmyra. Despite hot weather the task was fully completed,” said Dmitry Karpishin, commander of the mine clearing unit.
To make the UNESCO site habitable again, the Russian unit has also begun operations to demine the town’s other districts and infrastructure, including the city’s electrical substations, pumping stations, waterline, and hospitals.
Syrian forces supported by the Russian Air Force ousted IS terrorists from Palmyra on March 27, an achievement not only considered a strategic win, but also a symbolic victory. The city had been under IS control for more than 10 months, during which the terrorists destroyed a number of unique ancient monuments, including the Arch of Triumph and the iconic 2,000-year-old Bel Temple. The City of Palms has been left partly devastated and ridden with explosive devices.
