Islamic State slaughters civilians in Syria's Al-Qaryatayn October 23, 2017 - 12:53 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Islamic State may have been expelled from Al-Qaryatayn, however in its two weeks of occupying the ancient oasis town the militant group wasted no time in murdering those under its rule which it considered undesirable, Al-Masdar News reports. According to accounts from Syrian pro-government forces who liberated the Al-Qaryatayn, IS militants slaughtered 45 civilian residents in what can be identified as a deliberate massacre. Reports say that IS targeted civilians who were said to have returned to Al-Qaryatayn after the town’s first liberation by pro-government forces in April 2016. The jihadist occupiers considered those they killed to be traitors and pro-government spies. The death toll continues to rise as pro-government forces uncover more corpses in and around the 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 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 |
