“Every person has two homelands,” the French archaeologist Andre Parrot once commented ; “His own and Syria”. T.E Lawrence (of Arabia), who spent a great deal of time exploring Syria, wrote specifically of Palmyra; “Nothing in this scorching, desolate land could be so refreshing”. It might also have been Lawrence who labelled Palmyra (or the […]
By Stephen Lendman | March 29, 2016 Washington bears full responsibility for ISIS capturing UNESCO World Heritage site Palmyra last May, causing widespread destruction and looting of precious artifacts, plundered from other sites in the country. Russian air power helped Syrian ground forces liberate the city after weeks of heavy fighting, the most important strategic […]
21st Century Wire says…
As the Syrian Army retakes the ancient city of Palmyra from ISIS this week, a few stories have emerged – regarding some extraordinary incidents.
Here’s one of them: an unnamed man was killed during air and ground operations in Palmyra.
According to RIA Novosti, the Russian officer was assigned to a mixed ground unit and was providing targeting for airstrikes. What happened after he was surrounded by ISIS fighters is simply shocking…
21st Century Wire says…
Here is a good example of how tangled the western foreign policy agenda is when it comes to Syria and ISIS.
Faced with the reality that they have been backing a losing side in Syria for the past 6 years, a confused Washington DC still clings to old public relations tagline like, ‘Assad Must Go’, and still push out the idea that somehow the government in Damascus is more dangerous than a known terrorist petulance like ISIS.
On Freedom’s tree there rained a withering blight,
Glory to proud Palmyra sighed adieu,
And o’er her shrines Destruction’s angel flew.
— Nicholas Michell, 1807-1880, Ruins of Many Lands
Photo:The Roman city of Palmyra, recently occupied by ISIS. (Courtesy Matthew Stevenson)
by MATTHEW STEVENSON Counterpunch
As well as killing people, Islamic State is smashing up ancient works of art. Only a little can be done to prevent its acts of barbarism
A late report from Washington has it that U.S. President Barack Obama is considering an NSA recommendation that Special Forces “boots on the ground” at least be discussed and that the US may direct its war against Da’ish to save Palmyra.
Can One of the World’s Greatest Archaeological Sites Be Saved?
by Franklin Lamb
Office of the Director-General of Antiquities and Museums (DGAM), Damascus.
Franklin Lamb
Palmyra, Homs Governorate, Syria
