Islamic extremists arrested in TurkeyApril 12, 2011 - 17:58 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish police detained 40 suspected members of al Qaeda and the Turkish Islamist militant group Hizbullah in raids in Istanbul on April 12. State-run TRT channel said among the detainees was Halis Bayancuk, whom the channel identified as the head of al Qaeda's branch in Turkey. State-run Anatolian news agency said operations were under way in a number of Turkish provinces. Turkish police often arrest suspected Islamist militants and describe them as having links to al Qaeda, though details seldom emerge. Turkish Hizbullah has no links to the Lebanese Shi'ite group. It was broken up and its leaders were arrested in 2000 after police unearthed the bodies of more than 60 people the group had tortured to death in raids across the country. But after a series of delays to their trials, 18 Hizbullah members were released in January this year after the introduction of new regulations limiting the period accused could be imprisoned without convictions. It was not clear if any of those freed were among those detained on April 12, Today’s Zaman reported. 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. |