Body of Russian Officer Who ‘Ordered Airstrike on Himself’ to Kill ISIS Militants, Flown Home

Senior Lieutenant Alexander Prokhorenko, 25, died last month during the joint Russia-Syrian effort to retake the city of Palmyra from ISIS, when he called an airstrike on where he was located after being surrounded by ISIS forces.
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Body of Russian Officer Who ‘Ordered Airstrike on Himself’ to Kill ISIS Militants, Flown Home
Jonathan Zhou
4/30/2016
Updated:
4/30/2016

The body of a Russian special forces officer who died while fighting ISIS militants in Syria has been flown home. 

Senior Lieutenant Alexander Prokhorenko, 25, died last month during the joint Russia-Syrian effort to retake the city of Palmyra from ISIS. The officer called for an airstrike where he was located after being surrounded by ISIS forces. 

“Following special joint steps taken with the participation of representatives of the Syrian authorities and the Kurdish militia, the officer’s body has been delivered to Moscow,” a Russian defense ministry official said, according to the TASS news agency.

Smoke billows from the Palmyra citadel on March 25, 2016, during a military operation by Syrian troops to retake the ancient city from ISIS. (Stringer/AFP/Getty Images)
Smoke billows from the Palmyra citadel on March 25, 2016, during a military operation by Syrian troops to retake the ancient city from ISIS. (Stringer/AFP/Getty Images)