Russian sappers discover Daesh largest ammunition cache in Palmyra

Russian sappers have discovered “one of the largest” ammunition caches that the Daesh Takfiri terrorists left behind in the recently liberated Syrian city of Palmyra, the Russian Defense Ministry says.

“The warehouse was well-disguised and discovered through the use of special equipment, brought by Russian engineers to Syria. They have removed more than 12,000 explosive objects, including large-caliber mortar mines, artillery shells, as well as anti-tank mines and anti-personnel landmines, from the terrorists’ cache,” said Major General Igor Konashenkov, the defense ministry spokesman, on Friday.

Daesh had been using improvised explosive devices and bombs stored in this depot, located on the outskirts of the city, to launch terror attacks not only in Homs province but also in other Syrian provinces, Konashenkov further said, adding that the site had been secured against accidental spotting by means of tripwires connected to nine landmines.

Konashenkov went on to say that some “1,000 electronic detonators and home-made radio-controlled detonators used for equipment of improvised explosive devices” were also among the devices found in the arsenal, adding that the cache was neutralized, with explosive devices cleared and taken to a safe place for disposal.

Since early April, the Russian sappers have defused nearly 3,000 explosive devices, including 432 makeshift bombs, in and around the city.

“The task of clearing the architectural and historical part of Palmyra of explosives has been fully completed,” said Yury Stavitsky, the head of the Russian Army's engineering unit, in a report to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday.

Engineers from the Russian Army's International Anti-mine Center were deployed to Palmyra following a request made by Damascus to help demine the city.

Daesh captured the ruins of Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the adjacent modern city in May 2015, and destroyed ancient monuments there, including the 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel and the iconic Arch of Triumph. The Syrian forces fully liberated the city on March 27, a significant blow to the extremist terror group.

Russia launched its air campaign against Daesh and other terrorist groups in Syria last September upon a request by the Damascus government. In mid-March, however, Putin ordered a partial withdrawal of Moscow’s forces from the Arab state after peace talks resumed between the government and the opposition in the Swiss city of Geneva.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. According to a February report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.

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