France to supply arms to Iraqi Kurds ‘in the coming hours’August 13, 2014 - 15:56 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - France will supply arms to Iraq's Kurds "in the coming hours", French President Francois Hollande has announced, according to BBC News. France has received approval from authorities in Baghdad for the decision, French media said. Kurdish forces have been fighting militants from the Islamic State (IS) group. The conflict has displaced thousands of people. The U.S. has also reportedly begun supplying weapons to the Kurdish forces, known as the Peshmerga. A statement from Hollande's office said the move was "in response to the urgent need expressed by the regional authorities in Kurdistan". Earlier the U.S. announced it had sent 130 more military advisers to the Kurdish region. The marines and special operations forces will assess the humanitarian situation and will not be engaged in combat, a U.S. defense official said. The US has been carrying out air strikes against IS fighters in northern Iraq. The political leader of Iraq's Kurds, Massoud Barzani, earlier appealed for international military aid to help defeat the Islamist militants. Related links: Related issues: 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 | Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. Aram I supports Karekin II’s “patriotic position” Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I has expressed support for the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. |