Assad Forces retake Palmyra

Assad’s forces lost Palmyra after a week-long siege by Isis last summer. The fall of the city sparked worldwide concerns because it contains some of the best preserved ruins from antiquity.


‘Palmyra will rise again. We have to send a message to terrorists’
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Isis, arguing that the monuments were idolatrous, destroyed the temples of Bel and Baalshamin and the arch of triumph.

But new images suggest that the historic part of the city escaped largely intact. Syrian archaeologists are beginning to arrive to assess the damage from the militants’ occupation.

“Eighty percent of the ruins are in good shape,” Maamoun Abdelkarim, Syria’s antiquities chief, told the Agence France-Presse. “My expert colleagues arrive today in Palmyra.

“I have asked them to assess the stones and the old city. They are taking pictures of the damage and documenting everything, and then the restoration can begin.” He added that restoration efforts could take five years to complete.


Drone footage shows ruins of Palmyra as Syrian forces recapture it – video
Russia’s military intervention in Syria was launched in September, and had primarily targeted mainstream rebel groups rather than Isis. The operation in Palmyra was the first major strategic loss of territory by Isis to a Russian-backed offensive.

The Kremlin has already sought to portray the Syrian army as the singular partner against terrorism, and the Russian military said after the recapture of Palmyra it would use the city as a stepping stone for broader offensives against Isis strongholds of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor.

Russia’s military intervention in Syria was launched in September, and had primarily targeted mainstream rebel groups rather than Isis.

What is a mainstream rebel group? Is that one that is sponsored by foreign governments? Weren't they once called mercenaries?