Turkish military says killed 25 Kurdish rebels in IraqSeptember 10, 2012 - 20:41 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Turkish military says it killed 25 Kurdish rebels during a recent offensive in northern Iraq, according to BBC News. Warplanes hit 14 rebel hideouts in the cross-border strikes from 5 to 9 September, it said in a statement. Clashes between soldiers and rebels have killed 461 people in south-east Turkey this year, the military said separately according to local media. Fighting between the army and Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels in the region has escalated in the past year. The army has mounted hundreds of operations in a bid to drive out the rebels. Several thousand rebels are believed to be based in northern Iraq, and the Turkish military regularly violates Iraqi airspace to target them. "Initial data" suggest 25 terrorists were "rendered ineffective" in the recent air operation in northern Iraq, AFP news agency quoted the Turkish military as saying. The PKK has been fighting for an ethnic homeland in south-eastern Turkey since 1984. It is classified as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and EU. Of the 461 people the army says have died in south-east Turkey this year, 88 - about a fifth of the total - were soldiers killed over the past nine months, AFP quoted local TV network NTV as saying. 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 | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. |