Palmyra Recapture Gateway to Raqqa Liberation: Syrian Expert
DAMASCUS (Tasnim) – A Syrian military expert said retaking the strategic city of Palmyra from the terrorist groups will push the Syrian forces to go for the liberation of Al-Raqqah, a city that the Daesh (ISIL) Takfiri terrorists claim to be their capital.
In an interview with Tasnim, retired army general Yahya Suleiman described the recent recapture of Palmyra as the gateway to the liberation of Al-Raqqah and Deir ez-Zor, two main cities under control of Daesh terrorists.
Palmyra will serve as a base for the Syria troops accelerating their drive into Al-Raqqah and Deir ez-Zor, he added.
The former general also noted that regaining Palmyra has cut the flow of militants from Jordan and Saudi Arabia to Al-Raqqah and Deir ez-Zor.
On March 27, Syrian state television quoted a military source as saying the army had taken “complete control over the city of Palmyra”.
Palmyra, known as the “bride of the desert”, used to attract tens of thousands of tourists a year before the Syrian conflict started in 2011.
Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with Takfiri terrorists, including Daesh, currently controlling parts of it, mostly in the east.
The Syrian conflict has killed at least 260,000 people, according to the UN, and more than half of Syria’s pre-war population of 22.4 million has been internally displaced or fled abroad.
