150 mines removed so far from Palmyra site

A Syrian antiquities official said that demining experts have so far removed 150 bombs planted by ISIS inside the archaeological site in the historic town of Palmyra.

Syria’s head of antiquities and museums, Maamoun Abdul-Karim, said on Tuesday that a technical team has returned to Damascus after a two-day work in Palmyra. Syrian troops captured the town from ISIS fighters on Sunday after three weeks of intense fighting.

Mr Abdul-Karim said that the team photographed inside the museum where many statues were damaged by ISIS during its 10-month control of Palmyra.

He added that the technical team could not reach some remote sites, including the burial places, because there are “hundreds of mines” left. Syrian state media reported that warplanes struck several ISIS vehicle and targets east of Palmyra.

The jihadists swept into Palmyra, a Unesco-listed World Heritage Site, in May 2015 and began a campaign to destroy tombs and shrines it considers idolatrous. The extremist group demolished the 2,000-year-old temple of Bel and also blew up the Arch of Triumph.

ISIS also used Palmyra’s ancient theatre as a venue for public executions.