Syrian troops break rebel siege on Aleppo main prison: monitorMay 22, 2014 - 14:06 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Syrian troops have broken a year-long rebel siege on Aleppo's main prison after heavy fighting with al Qaeda fighters and other Islamist brigades, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said on Thursday, May 22, according to Reuters. It said forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad entered the prison compound in military vehicles and gunfire was heard. Syrian state media did not report on the fighting around the prison on Thursday, but earlier said Assad's forces had captured the town of Hailan next to the prison, about 5 miles northeast of Aleppo city. Assad's forces and rebels have been fighting for two years in Aleppo, Syria's largest city before the start of the three-year civil war, and the countryside around it. Rebels, including fighters from al Qaeda's Nusra Front, have tried repeatedly to storm the prison and free its inmates, bombing and breaching its outer walls but failing to take full control. The complex holds around 3,000 prisoners. The recapture of the prison and its surroundings means that Assad's forces have control over the north-east approach to Aleppo, the Observatory's Rami Abdulrahman said. The Britain-based, anti-Assad Observatory, which monitors the violence in Syria through a network of activists and medical and military sources, says more than 162,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which grew out of protests against Assad's rule. 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 | Erdogan wants “realistic road map” for relations with Armenia Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a “new realistic road map” for relations with Armenia. Armenia-Azerbaijan: Experts launch work on determining coordinates Expert groups from the countries started the process of determining the coordinates based on geodetic measurements. Yerevan says did not expect CSTO in peacekeeping role Pashinyan has declared that the CSTO would be expected to come to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border as an ally of Armenia Henrikh Mkhitaryan wins Serie A title with Inter Inter Milan midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan admits that the team have long been imagining clinching Serie A against AC Milan. |