Syrian rebels claim full control of captured military baseDecember 11, 2012 - 13:57 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - An activist group says Syrian rebels are in full control of a sprawling military base they stormed two days earlier and have killed 35 government troops in the fighting, The Associated Press reported. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the battle for the Sheik Suleiman base near the northern city of Aleppo ended on Tuesday, Dec 11, after the rebels took over the base's main compound and warehouses. The rebels first entered the base on Sunday afternoon, after weeks of fighting with soldiers loyal to President Bashar Assad. The Observatory says that in addition to the 35 soldiers killed, the rebels also wounded or captured 64 government troops in the base. The Observatory relies on a network of activists inside Syria. Syria's 20-month conflict has killed more than 40,000 people. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. 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". Partner news | International cybercrime ringleaders arrested in Armenia, Ukraine Europol, Europe's crime agency, has arrested four ringleaders of several cybercrime networks that used botnets. Armenia skips CSTO Defense Ministers meeting A meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization countries began in Almaty. Armenian, Iranian foreigh policy chief talk over the phone The Foreign Minister of Armenia once again expressed condolences to his counterpart on the death of the President of Iran. Armenia, U.S. customs authorities to boost assistance with new deal The government has approved an agreement with the U.S. government on mutual assistance between the customs authorities. |