Iraqi forces readying to seal Syrian border April 10, 2018 - 11:25 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Iraqi military is preparing for a major operation that is meant to officially seal off the Iraqi-Syrian border 'once and for all', Al-Masdar News reports. Led by their Popular Mobilization Units (var. Hashd Al-Sha’abi), the Iraqi military has deployed a large number of personnel to the western countryside of the Al-Anbar Governorate. The Iraqi military will attempt to clear all of the Islamic State’s (IS) sleeper cells around the Deir ez-Zor-Anbar axis, which would be a difficult task without cooperation from the Syrian Army and Kurdish-led forces. According to local reports in Deir ez-Zor, the Iraqi military will be launching the operation in coordination with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), marking the first time during the war that either entity has worked together.  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 |
