Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Peril of IS mines in historic city
RUSSIAN soldiers are clearing historic Palmyra in Syria of hundreds of landmines and explosives left behind by Islamic State.
The city famed for its Roman ruins and archaelogical treasures was recaptured this month by Syrian government troops, backed by Russian and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters.
But it has been decimated by Islamic State vandals and it is expected to take weeks for the Russians to clear the city of all the mines.
Meanwhile, prisoners and warders have been killed in airstrikes on a jail in the rebel-held city of Idlib, in north-west Syria.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said women were among the dead in Friday night’s attacks. It added that some were killed by gunfire as guards chased prisoners trying to flee.
Rebel activists in the Local Co-ordination Committee said five air raids struck the city.
Idlib is a stronghold of insurgents opposing President Bashar al-Assad and is regularly targeted by Syrian and Russian warplanes.