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Russia to send robots, engineers to Syria to help demine Palmyra

Russia says it will deploy bomb disposal experts and technology into Syria in the next few days to help defuse explosives in the city of Palmyra, which was recently recaptured by the Syrian government from Islamic State.

The support given by the Russians will include engineers and robots, which will be used to defuse numerous bombs and booby traps, which were left by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants after they were defeated.

The announcement was made by the head of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov, who also mentioned that following a decision taken by President Vladimir Putin, Russian forces will be involved in the removal of mines in the area.

More info to follow

Russia says it will deploy bomb disposal experts and technology into Syria in the next few days to help defuse explosives in the city of Palmyra, which was recently recaptured by the Syrian government from Islamic State.

The support given by the Russians will include engineers and robots, which will be used to defuse numerous bombs and booby traps, which were left by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants after they were defeated.

The announcement was made by the head of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov, who also mentioned that following a decision taken by President Vladimir Putin, Russian forces will be involved in the removal of mines in the area.

More info later

On Sunday, President Putin congratulated the Syrian President Bashar Assad on retaking the ancient city of Palmyra from IS, while Putin stressed the importance of preserving the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

"In a telephone conversation with the Syrian president, Vladimir Putin congratulated his counterpart on retaking the city of Palmyra from terrorists and noted the importance of preserving this unique historic site for world culture," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Sunday.

With the help of Russian air support, the Syrian Army retook the historic city of Palmyra from IS, which had occupied it since last May.

The Russian Air Force made 40 flights over the vicinity of Palmyra in the space of 24 hours, hitting 117 targets and killing over 80 militants, the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria said Sunday.