IS militants attack Iraqi town close to U.S. airbaseFebruary 13, 2015 - 10:18 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Islamic State (IS) militants have launched an attack on a town in Iraq's Anbar province, close to an airbase that is home to some 300 U.S. marines, BBC News reports. The militants attacked the town of al-Baghdadi, 5km from the Ain al-Asad base, where the U.S. forces are training Iraqi troops. Heavy fighting was reported around the town, west of Anbar's capital, Ramadi. The U.S. is spearheading an air campaign against the militants, who seized large parts of Iraq and Syria last year. The U.S. military says its aircraft carried out several strikes on IS positions in Iraq on Thursday, Feb 12, mostly concentrated around the Iraqi towns of Mosul and Kirkuk. IS militants advanced upon al-Baghdadi early on Thursday, according to Reuters, sparking fierce clashes with Iraqi government forces. A Pentagon spokeswoman, quoted by Reuters, said there had not been any direct attack on the nearby air base. It is unclear if the militants are in control of al-Baghdadi. The London-based Al-Sharqiyah News channel reports that IS militants were repelled in the area by Iraqi security and tribal forces, backed by U.S. jets. Photo: ABC News 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 | 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. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. 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. |