Syrian rebel forces bracing for "mother of all" battles in AleppoJuly 27, 2012 - 12:51 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Syrian rebel forces were bracing Friday, July 27 for the "mother of all" battles in Aleppo, as Washington warned the army could be preparing to carry out a massacre in the country's second city, AFP reports. Waves of troop reinforcements have been pouring into the northern city - Syria's commercial capital - and a security source told AFP the offensive feared by the rebels could come as early as Friday. "The special forces were deployed on Wednesday and Thursday on the edges of the city, and more troops have arrived to take part in a generalized counter-offensive on Friday or Saturday," the security source said. Early Friday, helicopter gunships strafed a string of rebel neighborhoods in the southwest of the city. Clashes also broke out in the Jamiliya district, adjacent to Aleppo's historic old quarter, a human rights watchdog said. Three people were killed in shelling of the southern Fardoss district and one was shot dead in the Maysaloon neighborhood, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. In Salaheddin, a rebel bastion in the southwest of the city, hundreds of opposition fighters were bracing for the threatened counter-offensive by the embattled regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Viva-MTS: Tech solutions to modernize infrastructure of border village The border village has been the focus of Viva-MTS and the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Values since 2015. Ucom's fixed network launched in Artashat To mark this occasion, the company has introduced a special offer exclusively for Artashat residents. “By Your Side”: IDBank's new support program for displaced Artsakh citizens IDBank is launching a long-term social support program for forcibly displaced Artsakh residents. The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. |