U.S.-led jets strike IS positions in northeast Syria: monitorMarch 14, 2015 - 15:49 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S.-led jets have struck Islamic State positions in northeast Syria in an area where the militants have been battling Kurdish forces, a group monitoring the war said on Saturday, March 14, according to Reuters. The air strikes hit areas close to the town of Tal Tamer, south of the Turkish border, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. It was the first time the U.S.-led coalition hit the area since last month, the Observatory's founder Rami Abdulrahman said, citing sources on the ground. The Kurdish YPG militia, backed by U.S.-led air strikes, had made significant gains in recent weeks against Islamic State in northern Syria, cutting an important supply route from territory controlled by the militant group in Iraq. But Islamic State, which has declared a caliphate in areas it controls, appeared to try to seize back the initiative on Tuesday, attacking Kurdish fighters using tanks and heavy weapons close to the Turkish border. The YPG has emerged as the main partner for the U.S.-led alliance fighting Islamic State on the ground in Syria. Backed by Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga fighters and air strikes, the YPG defeated Islamic State in the border town of Kobani in January. The battle for Kobani was the first publicly-declared example of U.S.-led forces closely coordinating militarily with a ground force to battle Islamic State. The United States says it wants to train and equip non-jihadist groups to fight the group elsewhere in Syria and the training was due to get underway in Jordan this month. It is not clear which rebel fighters it plans to train. Photo: ABC News 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. |