Russian Spetsnaz surrounded by ISIS near Palmyra, calls in airstrikes on himself.

Aleksandr Prochorenko, 25
Russian officer which called a strike onto himself near #Palmyra when was surrounded by IS pic.twitter.com/ZDA2lKVoNu

— Военный Советник (@miladvisor) March 29, 2016

Russian Spetsnaz surrounded by ISIS near Palmyra, calls in airstrikes on himself. (Yahoo).

A Russian special forces officer has been killed near Syria's Palmyra, a military representative at the Russian base in Syria was quoted as saying by Russian agencies Thursday.

"An officer of Russian special operations forces was killed near Palmyra while carrying out a special task to direct Russian airstrikes at Islamic State group targets," the unnamed representative said, without giving the date of the incident.

"The officer was carrying out a combat task in area for a week, identifying crucial IS targets and passing exact coordinates for strikes with Russian planes," he said.

"The officer died as a hero, he drew fire onto himself after being located and surrounded by terrorists," he said.

Moscow has been tight-lipped about having any soldiers on the ground throughout its campaign in Syria that began on September 30. Hmmm......."Quod facimus in vita resonat in aeternum". (What we do in life, echoes in eternity). Gladiator.

Video - ‘Cultural cleansing is human tragedy of Middle East’ – UNESCO chief.

The persecution of people based on their ethnicity and the deprivation of their intangible heritage has become part of the human tragedy in the Middle East, Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO told RT’s Oksana Boyko in ‘Worlds Apart’.

Islamic State militants Terrorists (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) are engaged in the “cultural cleansing” of the Middle East, Bokova said, describing it as a “human tragedy.”

When one “persecutes people on the basis of their ethnicity or religion, destroys their monuments, their temples, deprives them of their intangible heritage, attacks their identities – they stop being humane,” she said.

She stressed that there is an urgent need to curb the industrial-scale looting of archaeological sites and trafficking of goods in order to cut the extremists’ financing.

“We should not forget that this is a criminal activity that further finances terrorism, extremist activities, persecution of people. It’s not just looting. It’s not just because we love art that we are doing this. It has a deep meaning for peace and security,” she said.

Bokova reiterated the importance of UN Security Council Resolution 2199 introduced by Russia and adopted in February. The resolution condemned the destruction of cultural heritage and enforced legally-binding measures to counter the illicit trafficking of antiquities and cultural objects from Iraq and Syria.Read the full story here.

Terrorist group Islamic State destroys Palmyra’s triumphal arch.

#ISIS continues cultural cleansing in #Palmyra with the destruction of the Triumphal Arch today. pic.twitter.com/aBWtxHmQBb

— Julie Lenarz (@MsIntervention) October 4, 2015

Terrorist group Islamic State destroys Palmyra’s triumphal arch.(TOI).

Islamic State extremists have blown up the famous Arch of Triumph in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, the country’s head of antiquities said Monday, as the jihadists press their campaign to tear down the treasured heritage site.

“We have received news from the site that the Arch of Triumph was destroyed yesterday (Sunday). IS bobby-trapped it several weeks ago,” antiquities director Maamun Abdulkarim told AFP.

IS has carried out a sustained campaign of destruction against heritage sites in areas under its control in Syria and Iraq, and in mid-August beheaded the ancient city’s 82-year-old former antiquities chief.

The jihadists have already destroyed the shrine of Baal Shamin and the 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel, regarded as Palmyra’s masterpiece, since overrunning the citadel in May.

The Arch of Triumph, situated at the entrance of the ancient ruins’ historic colonnaded street, was an “icon of Palmyra,” Abdulkarim said, warning that IS fighters have already laid explosives in other monuments.

“This is a systematic destruction of the city. They want to raze it completely,” he said.

“They want to destroy the amphitheater, the colonnade. We now fear for the entire city,” he added, calling on the international community to “find a way to save Palmyra.”

Mohammad Hassan al-Homsi, an activist from Palmyra, backed up the account, saying: “The Arch of Triumph was pulverizaed. IS has destroyed it.”

Sunni extremist group IS has destroyed pre-Islamic monuments, tombs and statues it considers idolatrous, but experts say they are also funding their “caliphate” by selling artifacts on the black market.

Both the citadel and the ruins are on the UNESCO World Heritage list, and before the war around 150,000 tourists a year visited Palmyra. Hmmm......Each time ISIS is loosing or loose the attention of the world they blowup part of Palmyra, expect more to come.

This is the earliest photo ever taken of ancient #Palmyra (1864). Sadly no more because of #ISIS cultural cleansing. pic.twitter.com/tqUYQvbMpo

— Julie Lenarz (@MsIntervention) October 3, 2015

ISIL militants planting mines and bombs among Palmyra’s historic ruins.

ISIL militants planting mines and bombs among Palmyra’s historic ruins. (BG).

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has planted mines and bombs in the ancient part of the central Syrian city of Palmyra, home to Roman-era ruins, a group monitoring the war said on Sunday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was not immediately clear whether the group was preparing to destroy the ancient ruins or planted the mines to deter government forces from advancing towards the city, also known as Tadmur.

"They have planted it yesterday. They also planted some around the Roman theatre, we still do not know the real reason," Rami Abdulrahman, the head of the Observatory, told Reuters.

The ultra-hardline Sunni Muslim group in May seized the city of 50,000 people, site of some of the world's most extensive and best-preserved ancient Roman ruins. Hmmmm......My guess they are preparing 'fireworks' for the end of Ramadan. Read the full story here.

Related:   Britain to pass new law to protect Middle Eastern artefacts from Isil

Daesh has placed TNT BOMBS around Bel temple ,say they will blow it up Sunday. #palmyra @arabthomness @archicivilians pic.twitter.com/afEu5d0b1c

— Ceftali (@CanelaNisa) June 20, 2015

@JulianRoepcke bombs and fuel placed at Baal Shamin and Bel temple #palmyra #Syria by ISIS. SOS 5 hrs ago @Anaminona pic.twitter.com/X9ufGskPSi

— Ceftali (@CanelaNisa) June 20, 2015