Four Russian military killed in Syria bomb attack last week: Moscow

Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement on Monday that the casualties had occurred when an army vehicle carrying Russian military advisers as part of a Syrian military convoy was targeted with an improvised explosive device (IED) en route from Tiyas airfield area to the central city of Homs.
 
"Four Russian servicemen died when their car exploded on a radio-controlled IED on February 16, 2017, in Syria," the statement said. "Two more were injured. Russian military medics are trying to save their lives."
 
The ministry said the bomb had been detonated remotely.
 
No group or individual has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but blame is likely to fall on the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group holding the ancient city of Palmyra nearby.
 
The recent deaths have raised the total number of Russian combat casualties in Syria to 27.
 
Since March 2011, Syria has been gripped by a militancy it blames on some Western states and their regional allies. 
 
In addition to carrying out airstrikes on terrorists’ positions in Syria, Russia has deployed technicians, military advisers, and police forces in the Arab country to clear and secure territory as well.
 
Moscow launched its military campaign against Daesh and other terror outfits in Syria at the Damascus government’s request in September 2015.
 
Over the past few months, Syrian government troops have made sweeping gains against Takfiri terrorists, who have lately increased their acts of violence across the country following a series of defeats in Aleppo and elsewhere.
 
The UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, estimated in August last year that more than 400,000 people had been killed in the crisis until then. The UN stopped its official casualty count in the war-torn country, citing its inability to verify the figures it receives from various sources.