Daesh claimed Friday it has killed five Russian troops near the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, AFP reported.
"The soldiers of the caliphate, by the grace of God, have killed five Russian soldiers and six members" of the Syrian army, a statement published by Daesh said.
The militant group also claimed the deaths of several Hezbollah fighters, also killed in fighting near Palmyra.
Amaq, a media website linked to Daesh, issued a similar claim, saying that one of the Russian soldiers killed was a military adviser.
"Four of the Russian soldiers were killed in Qasr al-Halabat west of Palmyra during an attempt to storm the area that IS forces foiled, while the adviser whose corpse was shown in a video distributed by the agency died (Thursday) in the Dawa area," Aamaq said.
Aamaq also published a video, showing the bloodied corpse of a man in military gear that it claimed was the adviser. The video also showed captured weapons and a packet of bandages with Russian instructions printed on the packaging.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the withdrawal of Russian troops, who have been aiding Syrian forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad, however Russian airstrikes have continued despite the partial withdrawal.
