Islamic State battles its way into Aleppo, seizing 13 townsJanuary 9, 2018 - 12:36 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - In a sudden and ferocious push, Islamic State militants operating in the province of Hama have seized thirteen settlements from rival Al-Qaeda-affilaited jihadists and entered into the province of Aleppo for first time in over 4 years, Al-Masdar News reports. On the night of Monday to Tuesday, January 9, IS members operating in Hama province’s northeastern countryside made a renewed assault against rival jihadist militants of Ha’yat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly called Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda), seizing from them in rapid succession some thirteen towns and village. The settlements have been identified as Qasr Ibn Wardan, Al-Ablah, Jubb al-Safa, Qalaat al-Hawayis, Abb Qana, Al-Aqlah, Tal al-Halawah, Ad-Dalala, Jubb Othman, Tal al-Ruman, Al-Jaduayat, Aziziyah and Al-Tarfawi. With this advance, IS has de facto battled its way into the province of Aleppo, a region in which it has lacked any military presence for over four years since conducting a strategic withdrawal from it at the end of 2013. 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. |