Syrian troops and Russian forces finally recapture Palmyra - but you'll never guess what they discovered
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After being captured by ISIS forces, the city of Palmyra fell victim to unspeakable acts. Now, with all terrorists cleared from the area, Russian and Syrian forces have initiated the grueling task of recording the events that took place in the ancient city during its 10-month occupation.
Highlights
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
4/3/2016 (9 years ago)
Published in Middle East
Keywords: Russia, Palmyra, ISIS, Syria, mass grave
LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Since the inception of the Syrian Civil War, at least 270,000 people have been killed. Of that number, ISIS executed at least 280 people in the ancient city of Palmyra.
Similar to the terrorist's actions in other cities, Syrian troops discovered a mass grave in Palmyra, which contained mutilated bodies of men, women and children.
The victims were a combination of officers, soldiers, civilians and family members of "popular committees," also known as the pro-regime militia.
During it's 10-month occupation, Palmyra lost several members of its population as well as many of its historic sites including monuments, temples and relics.
One U.S. official stated the Pentagon may send more special forces to Syria, adding, "Presumably they would do more of what they're already doing," but news of whether the Pentagon has made a final decision has yet to be announced.
Since Palmyra was reclaimjed last month, up to 70,000 residents have returned to their homes.
Though they are happy to return, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman stated: "People fear reprisal by the regime, and also the mines planted all over the city by IS. In addition, many houses were flattened by Russian air strikes before Palmyra was reclaimed."
Regardless of the state of their homes, residents continue to return in a steady stream while Syrian and Russian forces document the extent of the damage.
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