Published
time: 25 Mar, 2016 17:02
©
SANA / Reuters
A
Russian Special Operations Forces officer reportedly called a strike onto
himself when he was compromised and surrounded by ISIS militants near Palmyra,
where a fierce battle between the Syrian army and terrorists is in full swing.
“A
Russian special operations forces [SOF] officer was killed near a town of
Palmyra while guiding Russian warplanes to IS [previously ISIS/ISIL] targets,” a
military source at Russia’s airbase Khmeimim told Interfax news agency on
Thursday.
The
source added that the special forces operator was on a mission near Palmyra for
at least a week, detecting the terrorists’ most important targets and providing
coordinates for Russian warplanes to strike.
“The
officer died as a hero, calling a strike onto himself after he was compromised
and surrounded by terrorists,” the source added.
Other
details, including the officer’s identity, have not been disclosed. Previous
reports from the battlefield said that the Syrian army is on the verge of
retaking Palmyra – a cradle of ancient civilizations and UNESCO world heritage
site – which has been held by Islamic State. The ground offensive is supported
by Russia’s warplanes, while Russian-made weapons delivered to the Syrian
military also help make further advances.
Russian
SOF teams have been on the ground in Syria since Russian anti-IS operation
started last September. Earlier on Thursday, the chief of the Russian
contingent in Syria General Aleksandr Dvornikov told Rossiyskaya Gazeta in a
rare interview that special forces operators conduct long-range reconnaissance
and act as forward air observers.
“They
conduct ground reconnaissance of pre-selected targets for Russian warplanes,
assist in targeting warplanes in remote areas and perform other missions.”
Until
today, four servicemen have been killed during the Syrian deployment, including
Air Force pilot Oleg Peshkov, killed airborne after ejecting from a Su-24
bomber downed by Turkey as well as a Marine soldier Aleksandr Pozynich, killed
during the search operation to rescue the surviving Su-24 pilot.
Names
of the two other deceased Russian servicemen – Ivan Cheremisin and Fedor
Zhuravlev – only became known to the public at the March ceremony in the
Kremlin when President Vladimir Putin presented military awards and decorations
to those involved in the Syrian operation. He stressed that the servicemen who
sacrificed their lives in fight against terror “remained committed to their
duty until the end.”
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