ALEPPO (Sputnik) — On Monday, Palmyra was recaptured by Daesh months after being liberated by Syrian forces. Daesh pushed the Syrian army out and forced units to regroup at the Tiyas T4 airbase dozens of miles westward from the ancient city. The base is now the main stronghold between Daesh territory and Homs.
"The army and the militia have repelled a massive Daesh attack on the T4 airbase. The attack came from the southwest and the enemy retreated," the source told RIA Novosti.
The base continues to be targeted by regular mortar and rocket attacks, the source added, noting that Daesh is currently several miles away from T4 in all directions except the southwest, where terrorists were able to approach to within two miles of the base.
Daesh first seized the city in spring 2015 before being forced out by Syrian government troops with air support from Russian jets in March 2016. They have since made multiple attempts to retake Palmyra culminating in a major assault toward the end of last week.
The civil war has been raging in Syria since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups. The Daesh extremist group, outlawed in Russia and many other countries, has been able to capture large territories in both Syria and Iraq since 2014.
