Syrian army wants a solid buffer zone around military base in DamascusJanuary 8, 2018 - 13:38 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - With the very recently lifting of a jihadist-imposed siege on a key military base in eastern Damascus, assault units of the Syrian Arab Army are now working on building a solid buffer zone around the installation to properly secure it, Al-Masdar News repor. Late on Sunday night, Syrian troops lifted the siege on the army vehicle base in eastern Damascus’ Harasta district. Syrian army-led forces achieved the objective no more than one week after jihadist militias had managed to isolate it during an offensive involving Al-Qaeda affiliated armed groups. Since then, army assault groups have, according to military-affiliated sources, been working on expanding the security zone around not only the new supply running to vehicle base, but also around the installation itself. The full scope of the Syrian Army’s counter-offensive remains official unknown at this time, however some reports suggest that Syrian troops plan to retake, at the very least, the entire district of Harasta. 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 |