Islamic State advances towards rebel-held stronghold in south IdlibFebruary 9, 2018 - 17:42 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Islamic State militants, having recently broken-out from Syrian Arab Army encirclement in Hama province, are currently battling their way towards a key IS loyalist town in rebel-held southeast Idlib called At-Tamanaa where at least one thousand willing reinforcements await, Al-Masdar News reports. Most of the Islamic State militants who were in Hama (and are now in southeast Idlib), belong to an old affiliate group that was active inside rebel-held northwest Syria until February 2017 (when it was pushed to leave by Al-Qaeda-linked forces under the threat of all-out war) called Jund al-Aqsa. The leader of the ex-Jund al-Aqsa IS fighters is Radwan Al-Bakri. The commander comes from At-Tamanaa. The town is a place where he not only recruited existing militants, but where he still has many loyalist sleeper agents awaiting the right moment to rise up and join ranks. According to opposition sources, the town of At-Tamanaa has up to one thousand (some reports say several thousand) Islamic State loyalists present in it – themselves ex-Jund al-Aqsa fighters who since became sleeper agents after to militant faction was forced to leave rebel-held northwest Syria. At the present time, IS has captured the towns of Umm Khalakhil, Luwaybidah and Musharifah (as reported by opposition sources) from rebels in southeast Idlib, meaning the terrorist group is around ten kilometers away from reaching At-Tamanaa with only four settlements in-between. Photo. AP 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. |