Iraqi forces take new city from Kurdish PeshmergaOctober 20, 2017 - 12:58 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Iraqi forces continued their advance against the Kurdish Peshmerga and PKK, on Friday, October 20, seizing a new city near the recently captured provincial capital of the Kirkuk Governorate, Al-Masdar News reveals. Iraqi troops led by the Federal Police launched a big attack on the Peshmerga positions near the city of Altun Kubri (var. Kopri) this morning, scoring an advance after cutting the road from the provincial capital. The Iraqi Armed Forces would finally take control of the city after several minutes of intense fighting with the Kurdish Peshmerga and PKK units. With Antun Kubri under Iraqi military control, the Kurdish Peshmerga have lost their third major city in Iraq this week. 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 | 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 |