Syrian army reaches gates of key town in DamascusDecember 22, 2017 - 18:06 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Syrian Arab Army has scored an important advance against Al-Qaeda-linked militants in the Beit Jinn valley region of western Damascus province, reaching the gates of a key town as a result and inflicting notable losses on jihadist ranks, Al-Masdar Bews says. According to Syrian military sources, army forces operating in the Beit Jinn valley achieved a major breakthrough in militant lines on Friday, December 22, capturing a large hilltop farming area called Al-Hanakir south of the strategic jihadist-held town of Mazaraat Beit Jinn, Al-Masdar News says. The advance was made after no less than 48 hours of unrelenting clashes between Syrian army-led forces and jihadist militants of the Ha’yat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda) terrorist group. In the process of capturing the Al-Hanakir area, the Syrian Army destroyed two jihadist pickups armed with heavy machine guns and killed 6 enemy fighters as well as wounding another ten. By this advance, Syrian army-led forces have essentially reached the gates of Mazaraat Beit Jinn, but even more importantly have put themselves in a position to rain down fire on rebel positions within town with their machine guns and mortars. Syrian troops are expected to storm the town at any moment. 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 | Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |