Russian Forces Help to Recapture Palmyra

Great Colonnade at Palmyra, Syria.

Syrian and Russian forces scored a major victory in the fight against ISIS on March 27 when they recaptured the desert city of Palmyra. Hailed as the greatest victory to emerge out of the conflict since ISIS declared its caliphate in June 2014, the liberation of Palmyra is a huge step forward for pro-regime forces as they begin to step up the offensive in the areas immediately surrounding the city.

The victory also serves to legitimize Russian military presence in the region, which has been subject to heavy criticism from the United States and its allies ever since Russia began its military campaign in September 2015. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Russia played a key role in the liberation of Palmyra, with warplanes carrying out around 500 sorties and hitting more than 2,000 ISIS targets within a span of twenty days.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad praised the victories and stressed that political settlement — one of the biggest concerns of the West since the beginning of the Syrian Civil War — can only happen after the country has been returned to stability. “Russia's military support, the support provided by Syria's friends and the military achievements of the Syrian army - all this will lead to the speeding up of political settlement, and not vice versa," he declared.

Despite the victory, the liberation is only the first step in what appears to be a grueling struggle to restore Palmyra to its former state as the Pearl of the Middle East and the Queen of the Syrian desert. At least 150 mines are said to be hidden around the city, making the premises unsafe to accommodate the return of civilians, many of whom fled before the allied offensive began. The Irish Times reported that a mass grave filled with captured Syrian army members and civilians, many of whom were women and children, was discovered in the city.

If the humanitarian calamity was not enough, much of Palmyra’s ancient heritage has been permanently destroyed. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980 for its remarkable archeological and historical sites dating back to the early second millennium BCE, Palmyra was largely defaced by ISIS during the group’s ten month occupation.