BEIRUT, March 2. /TASS/. Syrian army engineering units have launched an operation since the morning of March 2 to clear passways to Palmyra of mines, the news agency SANA reported on Thursday.
As a source in the Syrian army’s command told SANA, terrorists of the Islamic State (terrorist organization outlawed in Russia) planted a large number of explosives and mines in the area to obstruct the movement of the government troops.
"The Syrian troops are chasing the remainder of terrorists’ routed gangs," the source said, noting that the enemy had sustained heavy losses in personnel and military hardware.
A report prepared by the military information service shows the Syrian army’s helicopters delivering strikes on the remaining strongholds of terrorists on the outskirts of Palmyra.
As the TV Channel Al-Alam reported, militants have now moved to the city’s eastern part and their columns are retreating towards the al-Suhna oasis located 70 km of Palmyra.
According to the TV channel, the Syrian army has liberated the larger part of the western and the north-western outskirts of Palmyra from IS terrorists and gained control of the al-Mutaqaidin quarter close to the center. Shootout continues in the northern part of Palmyra where resistance pockets still remain.