Philippines: U.S. troops on the ground near besieged city June 14, 2017 - 10:24 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Armed U.S. troops are on the ground near the besieged Marawi City in the Philippines, but they are in a support role and not participating in fighting Islamic State militants, Reuters cited a Philippines military spokesman as saying on Wednesday, June 14. "There are some U.S. personnel who are operating equipment to provide information on situation awareness to our troops," Brigadier General Restituto Padilla told a news conference. "I do not know the exact number and the specific mission. They are allowed to carry rifles for self-defense. But they are not allowed to fight, they only provide support," he said. The Philippines military said on Tuesday that Islamist militants hold 20 percent of the Marawi City, disputing an earlier claim by Islamic State's news agency Amaq that its "fighters are spread in more than two-thirds" of the southern town.  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 Macron says France commemorates 109th anniv. of Armenian genocide  Today France commemorates the 109th anniversary of the Armenian genocide of 1915, Macron says.Pashinyan: We must stop searching for homeland, we have found that homeland Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has shared a message on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.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. |
