© Sputnik/ Mikhail Voskresenskiy
Under the command of the Syrian army, the troops are getting ready to storm the city in the near future, chief of 'Desert Falcons' Mohammad Jaber told RIA Novosti.
The Syrian army and militia on Saturday completed the first phase of the operation to storm Palmyra, occupying the commanding heights and destroying command posts, ammunition depots and firing positions of the terrorist group.
"We have received a request and an order to move into Palmyra in order to free it from Daesh terrorists. In the coming battle we will strike in the main direction of Palmyra. Soon we will begin the assault on the city. We will soon report to all of our friends that Palmyra is under our control," Jaber said.
According to the division leader of the 'Desert Falcons', "Russia is assisting the Syrian army in the framework of military-technical cooperation, part of the transferred means of command of the armed forces is being given to us therefore we consider that a victory."
The attack on Palmyra is coming from west, east and south. The advanced army troops and militia in some parts of the front are located two kilometers away from the city. From the west the elite units of the Syrian army, called 'Tigers', commanded by Suhail Al-Hassan, are advancing. From the east, along the Haya ridge the militia from the Arab tribes is headed and from the south the 'Desert Falcons' are approaching.
The southern direction is the most difficult one because of a number of heights on both sides of the road which are still under the control of Daesh and the territory between two mountain ranges is completely deserted.
One of the main tasks on the western and eastern flank is to cut off the terrorists' supply in Palmyra and hold the high ground.
Daesh militants are carrying out mortar and rocket attacks on the strategic heights daily. Small groups of terrorists keep attempting to counterattack observation posts and firing positions of the army and militia.
The command center of the army receives daily reports from the front lines suggesting that dozens of terrorists are being killed.
Taking the town of Palmyra, whose ancient ruins are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, is not only of historical importance, but also of strategic importance.
To the north and northwest of Palmyra there is a desert. As soon as the army takes the city, Daesh will lose control of over 20% of the occupied Syrian territory.
Right after the commanders of the Syrian troops will start a large-scale attack on the Daesh capital, Raqqa, and the operation for de-blocking of the city of Deir ez-Zor, which is surrounded by the terrorists, will begin.
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