Intense gunfire reported at Syria-Turkey borderFebruary 5, 2012 - 16:29 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Intense gunfire rang out overnight at the Syria-Turkey frontier as Damascus moved to root out the opposition in a Syrian border village, a local source said Sunday, Feb 5. According to a Turk living in a border village in southern Turkey's Hatay province, machine gun fire rattled late into Saturday night in the Damascus-led operation against the opposition in the Ain al-Beida village. "We were very scared, the shots damaged our satellite dishes," said the source who spoke on condition of anonymity, AFP reported. Turkish television station NTV quoted other villagers saying that another Syrian village, Khirbet al-Joz, had also been targeted by Syrian forces. According to press agency Anatolie, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has telephoned the governor of Hatay to obtain details about the situation on the ground. Some 7,500 Syrians have fled violent repression to Turkey since anti-government protests began in March. Most are living in camps in Hatay. Once a close ally of Syria, Turkey has since been at the forefront of international criticism over the Damascus regime's crackdown on protests. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also urged his once close friend, President Bashar al-Assad, to quit. 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 | Mirzoyan says meeting with Bayramov was “constructive” At the moment, Ararat Mirzoyan said, there is no basis for additional comments. OSCE vows support for Armenia “in all three directions of security” Achieving stable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains a priority of the OSCE, said Ian Borg. 151 detained as civil disobedience campaigns continue in Yerevan Citizens have been blocking streets in the Armenian capital, demanding Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation. France welcomes Armenia-Azerbaijan meeting in Almaty France has welcomed the new round of negotiations between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan. |