Airstrikes in Syria's Raqqa kill 8, including 3 kidsNovember 27, 2015 - 15:09 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Syrian opposition groups say a new wave of airstrikes on the city of Raqqa — the headquarters of the extremist Islamic State group — has killed at least eight people, including five children, the Associated Press reports. It wasn't immediately clear who carried out the airstrikes Friday, November 27. The city in northeastern Syria is the Islamic State group's de facto capital and has become the focus of international airstrikes aimed at the group. A Raqqa-based activist group that reports on IS, known as Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, said that most of the casualties occurred when warplanes targeted the city's Heten School. The school, like others in Raqqa, has been taken over by IS. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll at 12, including the five children. Russia and a U.S.-led coalition that includes France have been pounding Raqqa. In an interview with RTL radio on Friday, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said "neutralizing and eradicating Daesh" is an objective that all countries agree upon, referring to IS by its Arabic acronym. He spoke after a week of intense diplomacy capped by the French president's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 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 | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |