Somali militants sentence French hostage to deathJanuary 16, 2013 - 12:16 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Somali militants linked to al Qaeda said on Wednesday, January 16 they had sentenced a French agent to death several days after an attempt by French armed forces to rescue him failed, Reuters reported. Al Shabaab said in a statement the decision to kill Denis Allex, held hostage in Somalia since 2009, was unanimous and followed three years of what it called "exhaustive attempts at negotiations" over his release. "With the rescue attempt, France has voluntarily signed Allex's death warrant," the militants said in an emailed statement that was also posted on the group's official Twitter handle. France's Chief of Defense Edouard Guillard, asked to react to the statement, told Europe 1 Radio that Allex was presumed dead. "We have nothing since Friday's raid on Denis Allex being alive. We think he is likely dead," Guillard said. It was not immediately clear whether the rebels were saying they had already killed Allex. "It is the government of France ... which must bear full responsibility for the death of Allex," al Shabaab said. Guillard said the militants were engaging in "media manipulation." 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 | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |