Iraqi army makes gains in offensive to drive Islamic State from FallujaMay 30, 2016 - 10:04 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Iraqi government forces have made gains in their offensive to drive Islamic State militants from Falluja - one the country's two major cities in IS hands, BBC News said. The nearby town of Karma, the first line of IS defence, is now in the army's hands, a BBC reports. Large numbers of elite combat troops have also been deployed near Falluja, about 45km (28 miles) west of Baghdad. But IS hit back north of Falluja, killing and injuring some Iraqi forces in a suicide car bomb attack. A counter-attack south of the city was repelled with the help of helicopter gunships, the BBC reports. This comes just days after the IS commander in Falluja, Maher al-Bilawi, was killed along with dozens of militants in U.S. -led coalition air strikes, according to Washington. Photo: Reuters 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 | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |