ASTANA, March 14 (Sputnik) — Recently, Russia decided to send a demining squad to liberated Palmyra.
"The document on demining Palmyra is being prepared for adoption. But we still do not know what the reaction of the Turkish delegation on it is going to be … It does not require the participation of the Syrian armed opposition," the source said.
Daesh first captured Palmyra in May 2015. In the ten months that followed, the brutal group, notorious for destroying pre-Islamic cultural heritage sites, leveled the Temple of Bel, the Temple of Baalshamin, the Monumental Arch and several tomb towers. Some of the priceless artifacts on display at a local museum were smashed or defaced.
The Syrian Arab Army, assisted by Russian warplanes and its allies took Palmyra under control on March 27, 2016, but lost it on December 11. However, the jihadists later succeeded to drive out the Syrian government forces in December 2016 after a large-scale offensive.
