Islamic State launches counter-offensive against SDF forcesDecember 5, 2018 - 14:01 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Islamic State launched a counter-offensive on Tuesday, December 4 evening in the southeastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor after losing a significant amount of territory in the northern part of Hajin, Al-Masdar News reports. According to reports from the Deir ez-Zor front, IS managed to retake several points inside of Hajin that they lost to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) over the last 24 hours. However, the extent of their advance is still unknown at this time due to the heavy bombardment of Hajin by the U.S.-led Coalition. The town of Hajin is believed to be IS' de-facto capital in Syria and Iraq after they lost the cities of Raqqa, Mosul (northwest Iraq), Albukamal, and Mayadeen. For IS, conceding Hajin to the Syrian Democratic Forces would be a devastating blow to their self-proclaimed ‘caliphate’, as its the largest town under their control in the Middle East. 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 | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |