Both sides claim victory in Aleppo battleJuly 30, 2012 - 13:50 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Syrian government forces have battled rebels over one of their strongholds in the northern city of Aleppo, with each side claiming victory, Belfast Telegraph said. The Syrian government announced late on Sunday, July 29 that it had "purged" the district of Salaheddine and inflicted "great losses" upon the rebels - a claim which opposition activists dispute. "They were just in part of Salaheddine, not in the centre," said Rami Abdul-Rahman, director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Activists on the ground in Aleppo confirmed that the fighting was continuing and no government forces were in the Salaheddine area, one of the first to revolt against the government in the city of three million people. "They have tanks in nearby Hamdaniya and there is fighting, and there have been random bombardments of Salaheddine," said Mohammed Saeed, who is based in the embattled city. The government has massed forces outside Aleppo and began an assault over the weekend to retake the commercial hub. The international community has expressed fears over a possible massacre of civilians if the fighting escalates. 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 | Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. Aram I supports Karekin II’s “patriotic position” Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I has expressed support for the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. |