Turkey accuses Syria of downing plane in international airspaceJune 24, 2012 - 15:45 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey on Sunday, June 24 accused Syria of shooting down one of its warplanes in international airspace, as a watchdog said the Damascus regime suffered new setbacks and violence reached new heights, AFP reported. "According to our conclusions, our plane was shot down in international airspace, 13 nautical miles from Syria," Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told TRT television. Syria has said it downed the F-4 phantom jet on Friday after it violated its airspace, and on Saturday Turkey acknowledged the plane may have done so in comments seen as a bid to cool tensions between the former allies. Meanwhile, at least 20 people were killed, including 16 troops, in clashes with rebel fighters in Syria on Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. The clashes happened almost simultaneously at dawn," in the northern province of Aleppo bordering Turkey, the Observatory's Rami Abdel Rahman of told AFP. The fighting took place in the town of Dara Aza, and at military checkpoints near the town of Al-Atarib and the village of Kafr Halab, the Britain-based watchdog said. It reported that following an attack on an artillery battalion, a number of soldiers defected, taking with them a large quantity of weapons. And, in another setback for the embattled regime of President Bashar al-Assad, rebels captured 11 government soldiers in the central province of Damascus, it added. According to the Observatory's figures, 94 people were killed in Syria on Monday, 62 on Tuesday, 88 on Wednesday, 168 on Thursday, 116 on Friday and 116 on Saturday. 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 | Viva-MTS: Tech solutions to modernize infrastructure of border village The border village has been the focus of Viva-MTS and the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Values since 2015. Ucom's fixed network launched in Artashat To mark this occasion, the company has introduced a special offer exclusively for Artashat residents. “By Your Side”: IDBank's new support program for displaced Artsakh citizens IDBank is launching a long-term social support program for forcibly displaced Artsakh residents. The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. |