Islamic State slaughters civilians in Syria's Al-QaryataynOctober 23, 2017 - 12:53 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Islamic State may have been expelled from Al-Qaryatayn, however in its two weeks of occupying the ancient oasis town the militant group wasted no time in murdering those under its rule which it considered undesirable, Al-Masdar News reports. According to accounts from Syrian pro-government forces who liberated the Al-Qaryatayn, IS militants slaughtered 45 civilian residents in what can be identified as a deliberate massacre. Reports say that IS targeted civilians who were said to have returned to Al-Qaryatayn after the town’s first liberation by pro-government forces in April 2016. The jihadist occupiers considered those they killed to be traitors and pro-government spies. The death toll continues to rise as pro-government forces uncover more corpses in and around the town. 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. |