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The Islamic State planted thousands of mines in Palmyra

Apr 2, 2016 2:34 pm By Robert Spencer

“A signpost on a road through the ruins, now bent at 90 degrees to the ground, tells travelers in the group’s trademark black and white colors to ‘Respect God’. ‘When we show humility, God will deliver us,’ the sign says, above a passage from the Koran which says: ‘God made you victorious at the (battle of) Badr when you were but a humble (force),’ referring to a battle from the early Muslim era which the ultra-hardline group looks back to with reverence.” The Qur’an quote is 3:123. Not that this has anything to do with…you know the drill.

Palmyra-ruins

“Islamic State planted thousands of mines in Palmyra: Syrian army,” Reuters, April 2, 2016:

Islamic State militants retreating from Palmyra laid thousands of mines that they planned to set off simultaneously as the army moved in, a Syrian officer told Reuters in the ancient city after its recapture from the jihadist fighters.

The officer said main streets and side roads in Palmyra had been rigged with explosives weighing up to 50 kg. More than 3,000 had already been safely detonated since government forces, backed by Russian jets, retook the city on Sunday, he said.

He did not say why the Islamic State fighters failed to set off the explosives before pulling out, but his assertion echoed comments from Syria’s antiquities chief, who said the militants intended to dynamite a greater area of the city’s 2,000-year-old ruins than they already had.

The officer, who did not give his name, said the bombs left behind were linked so they could go off together.

“All the government buildings are rigged in a network connected to the Daesh leadership headquarters,” he said, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State. “The idea was that as we enter it would all go off at once, not just bomb by bomb. And there are a really huge number of bombs.”

Islamic State’s defeat in Palmyra was not only a significant military victory for President Bashar al-Assad, opening up the country’s central desert to government forces and their allies. It also cast the Syrian army as an effective fighting force against jihadists bent on cultural vandalism and wanton killing.

A military source told Reuters on Saturday troops had identified 45 bodies in a mass grave in Palmyra, including civilians and Syrian army members captured by Islamic State.

Parts of Palmyra have been cleared, including the road from Homs. But Syrian soldiers — soon to be joined by Russian de-mining experts — are still working on defusing or detonating explosives.

“We cannot leave them there. We are dealing with 90 percent of them by exploding them because they are buried firmly in the ground, cemented in the asphalt,” the officer said.

Civilians, most of whom fled before Syrian and allied forces began the offensive, cannot return until de-mining is complete.

Smoke could be seen rising from some parts of the modern, residential city of Palmyra, which lies next to the 2,000-year-old ruins, during a visit by journalists on Friday.

But few people were to be seen and no shops were open. Residential areas had been damaged and traces of explosions could be seen on the ground.

As well as a network of bombs, Islamic State left traces of their 10-month rule in Palmyra. Graffiti was evident on some of the ancient stones. “Remaining”, it read, part of the Islamic State motto of “remaining and expanding”.

On a stone among the remains of the Temple of Bel was scrawled: “No shooting without the permission of the Emir.”

A signpost on a road through the ruins, now bent at 90 degrees to the ground, tells travelers in the group’s trademark black and white colors to “Respect God”.

“When we show humility, God will deliver us,” the sign says, above a passage from the Koran which says: “God made you victorious at the (battle of) Badr when you were but a humble (force),” referring to a battle from the early Muslim era which the ultra-hardline group looks back to with reverence….

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Filed Under: Islamic State (aka ISIS, ISIL, Daesh), Syria Tagged With: Palmyra


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Comments

  1. jihad3tracker says

    Apr 2, 2016 at 3:06 pm

    Ah, yes — the faithful of Islam show up again and do what they love to do: destroy.

    What was once intact, produced they men and women who were confident that God loved to see his human creations engage in their deepest capacity for HIs worship by manifesting beauty.

    And let us note that, of all the arts, architecture in HARD STONE is the most difficult on a physical basis — what Allah’s sick souls tore apart was the result of hundreds or even thousands of hours of work.

  2. KnowThyEnemy says

    Apr 2, 2016 at 6:03 pm

    “‘God made you victorious at the (battle of) Badr when you were but a humble (force),’”

    “Allah” made Muslims victorious in the battle of Badr by deceiving his own followers. “Allah” himself claims so in Quran Sura 8 Ayats 42 thru 44. The only being who would deceive his own followers this way is Satan, not God! I once posted a challenge to Muslims asking for explanation for this deception, and of course like true Muhammadans they played all kinds of circus will logic and reasoning and ultimately lost the challenge. Here is the link-

    https://plus.google.com/117948605050831567900/posts/cdLbBqxZNrY

  3. Angemon says

    Apr 2, 2016 at 8:19 pm

    Islamic State militants retreating from Palmyra laid thousands of mines that they planned to set off simultaneously as the army moved in, a Syrian officer told Reuters in the ancient city after its recapture from the jihadist fighters.

    Oh, man. Does that mean that all those international treaties prohibiting the use of mines because they harm civilians and military alike means nothing to these people? Gee, what a surprise…

    Islamic State’s defeat in Palmyra was not only a significant military victory for President Bashar al-Assad, opening up the country’s central desert to government forces and their allies. It also cast the Syrian army as an effective fighting force against jihadists bent on cultural vandalism and wanton killing.

    Maybe they can help the British, French, Belgian, Russian, Chinese, American, Canadians and others who are having similar problems?…

  4. Jay Boo says

    Apr 2, 2016 at 8:57 pm

    Which is worse

    1. The Islamic State planted thousands of mines in Palmyra

    2. Merkel planted thousands of Muslims in Germany.

    • anisah says

      Apr 3, 2016 at 8:09 am

      Foolish western and european leaders making sure jihadis don’t have to work hard to kill kafirs. posting them next door to us.

  5. somehistory says

    Apr 2, 2016 at 10:04 pm

    Who supplied the mines?

    • dsinc says

      Apr 3, 2016 at 3:45 am

      Good question.

  6. Jerry says

    Apr 3, 2016 at 3:03 am

    Jihadists have nothing good to offer humanity. They are all about hate, murder, and brutal dominance over others. They do these heinous acts in the name of islam because this is what islam teaches, in no uncertain terms. And the more violent muslims are against us the more our leaders try to pressure us to accept the lie that it’s a religion of peace. People are already getting sued and hauled into court for speaking the truth about this phony faith, islam. Sharia enforcement is inching closer and closer to freedom’s throat. We’re getting stripped of our civil rights, every one must live in fear and suspicion now because of islam. And then when we point out its blatant calls to violence we are branded racists and bigots. This kind of moral suppression by the left can’t last forever. Sooner or later their bastion of denial in defense of islam must fall. The people are raising the banner of truth and decency in opposition to islam’s evil agenda. We won’t be fooled by childish lies or moral weakness dressed as multiculturalism. We won’t lose our lives and freedoms to islam.

    Islam is a force that works against us, culturally, religiously, and politically. Enemies can come in all shapes and sizes. I think it’s time for honesty about the people and faith that cause so much terror in the world today. Conscionable humanity demands it.

    • sahani says

      Apr 3, 2016 at 8:07 am

      Thanks to Mr Obama they are free to rome in the Europe and west .

  7. Anonymous says

    Apr 3, 2016 at 4:04 am

    In your hurry to vilify Assad for murdering some part of the”tens of thousands of civilians”, remember that the US government has been arming Al-Nusra, FSA and indirectly ISIS and is responsible for some share of the deaths as well.

    We will never know how much of Assad’s alleged actions against his people are true and how much has been falsely attributed to him (like the attempt to implicate him in gassing his own people when the UN inspectors had come to Damascus) by the media.

    Worth reading if you aren’t familiar with the events http://whowhatwhy.org/2014/12/01/really-used-chemical-weapons-syria/

    Hopefully, Assad will continue to remain in Syria, he is currently the better alternative.

  8. sahani says

    Apr 3, 2016 at 8:05 am

    Obama under his presidency made sure islam terror is known to all and its acts .
    Middle east back to stone age and no Islamic jihadis free to roam in Europe and west .
    Bam will be remembered like Mohammed in islam and west .
    How western intellectual could be so fool.

  9. sahani says

    Apr 3, 2016 at 8:13 am

    Saudis and Westestern leaders are great .Saudi create the workforce human bodies (jihadis ) for and west give them war gear ( guns and Bullets ) to destroy this world, first convert islamic followers next us.

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