Turkish army launches direct assault on Afrin city January 23, 2018 - 16:18 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Turkisharmy and proxy militias under its command have commenced their drive on the city of Afrin in Aleppo province’s northwestern countryside, Al-Masdar News says. According to official Turkish sources, forces of the Turkish army and Free Syrian army-linked rebel groups subordinated to it have kicked-off their direct offensive thrust to seize the Kurdish-held city of Afrin. The assault has been launched via the militant-held Syrian town of Azaz in northern Aleppo which one of the closest points between rebel lines and Afrin city. So far Turkish army-led forces are attacking towards the Barsaya mountain (northeast of Afrin) which if captured will give them direct fire-control over many of the towns and villages that guard the eastern approach to Afrin. The main offensive thrust now being undertaken by pro-Ankara forces comes after several days of heavy bombing and shelling of the entire Afrin region by Turkish warplanes and artillery assets as well as incursions by Free Syrian army-linked militias south of the Turkish border at several different points.   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 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.Yerevan says did not expect CSTO in peacekeeping role Pashinyan has declared that the CSTO would be expected to come to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border as an ally of ArmeniaHenrikh Mkhitaryan wins Serie A title with Inter Inter Milan midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan admits that the team have long been imagining clinching Serie A against AC Milan. |
