Syrian troops discover two mass graves in east HamaMarch 20, 2018 - 17:56 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Syrian army on Tuesday, March 20 discovered two mass graves in the eastern countryside of Hama province; bodies of many civilians and soldiers have already been unearthed, Al-Masdar News reports. According to early reports, the mass graves were discovered near the town of Rahjan which was the hometown of the Syrian Ministry of Defence before its fall to Islamist forces in 2014. Sources on the scene go on to state that ‘tens’ of bodies of slain government troops and civilians have been found so far – excavation teams are still working on both sites. Al-Qaeda affiliate militia Ha’yat Tahrir al-Sham (better known by its former name, Jabhat al-Nusra) is most likely responsible for the massacre, although this cannot be confirmed at the present time. 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 |