GENEVA (Sputnik) — Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was freed from a 10-month Daesh's rule late March by Syrian troops with air support from Russian jets. Jihadists destroyed many ancient treasures in the city and left it booby-trapped.
Speaking with RIA Novosti, UNMAS Program Manager Sarah Marshall said that only Russian and Syrian military were currently working in Palmyra due to its proximity to the frontline, but the UN demining authority was in talks, she said, on how it could assist the effort in the future.
Over the weekend, Russian bomb disposal experts set up a field camp on the outskirts of Palmyra from where they are conducting a large-scale mine-clearance operation with the help from Syrian sappers. On Monday, Russians removed 108 explosives from a four-hectare area in the historical part of Palmyra.