In the attack on the Syrian city Palmyra had participated more than five thousand militants of the terrorist group “Islamic state” (banned in Russia), told the official representative of the Ministry of defense of Russia Igor Konashenkov.
According to him, the terrorists broke into the outskirts of the city using cars with suicide bombers and explosives.
“Dusk igilovtsy by applying with one of the directions the cars filled with explosives with suicide bombers, regardless of heavy losses, broke through the defense and managed to gain a foothold on the outskirts of the city,” Konashenkov was quoted by RIA Novosti.
The General said that the concentration of large forces of the militants was possible because they were convinced that fighting against them in raqqa, who leads the U.S.-led coalition, will not resume.
“Using the fact that active hostilities of the US and the international coalition in the area of Raqqa were suspended until the spring, ISIS has deployed large forces in the assault on Palmyra. About four thousand terrorists with equipment: tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, jeeps with heavy weapons, rapidly moved from areas of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa, where they previously got clean away from Iraq’s Mosul”, — said Konashenkov.
However, he explained that the rebels were advancing in three directions: from the North, East and South.
“Total number of attackers was more than five thousand fighters. I want to stress that such terrorist groups until last Thursday around Palmyra was not. It is obvious that the ISIS centered near Palmyra, confident that the fighting in raqqa will not resume,” — said the representative of the Ministry of defense.
Russian combat aircraft strikes on residential areas of Palmyra, said Konashenkov. “Using this, the militants have stepped up attacks”, he added.
