Syrian FM says U.S.-led air strikes failed to weaken Islamic StateNovember 29, 2014 - 12:41 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Two months of U.S.-led air strikes have failed to weaken Islamic State (IS) militants, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem has said, according to BBC News. Moualem told Lebanese TV the only way to tackle IS was to force Turkey to tighten border controls and stop foreign fighters crossing into Syria. He also said Turkey's plan for a no-fly zone over northern Syria would a de facto partition of Syria. IS controls large swathes of both Syria and neighboring Iraq. "All the indications say that (IS) today, after two months of coalition air strikes, is not weaker," Moulame told al-Mayadeen TV on Friday, Nov 28. "If the (UN) Security Council and Washington do not force Turkey to control its borders then all of this action will not eliminate IS," the minister added. Turkey has a 900km (560 miles) border with Syria. Ankara has repeatedly denied claims that it backing militant Islamist groups - inadvertently or otherwise - to help Syrian rebels oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The U.S. and its allies have continued to hit IS targets in Syria and Iraq, but opposition groups backed by Washington in northern Syria have been losing ground to both IS and Syrian government forces. 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 | 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. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. 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. |