British air strikes kill 330 Islamic State fighters, official says September 17, 2015 - 14:36 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - About 330 Islamic State fighters have been killed in British air strikes since the Royal Air Force began carrying out raids against the group in September last year, Britain's Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has said, according to Reuters. "This figure is highly approximate, not least given the absence of UK ground troops in a position to observe the effects of strike activity," Fallon said in a written parliamentary statement. "We do not believe there have been any civilian casualties as a result of UK strike activity." Britain has regularly conducted attacks on Islamic State (IS) targets in Iraq as part of U.S.-led air strikes, but does not take part in raids in Syria after Prime Minister David Cameron lost a 2013 parliamentary vote to approve military action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Cameron is keen to win parliamentary backing to extend raids against Islamic State into Syria with Fallon saying the current position is illogical. However, some members of Cameron's Conservative party are opposed to expanding air strikes and newly elected opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is a veteran anti-war campaigner meaning he could not be certain of winning a vote.  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 |  Latest news Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims  Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide.Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed.Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham).Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |
