Syrian troops reportedly bombard Damascus districtJune 21, 2013 - 18:19 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Syrian troops bombarded the Damascus neighborhood of Qabun on Friday, June 21, as they pressed a bid to drive rebels out of the district, a watchdog said, according to AFP. “Regime troops renewed shelling this morning of the Qabun neighborhood and fierce clashes were underway between soldiers and rebels on the outskirts of the area,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. “Regime forces are hitting the area with mortar rounds, tanks and heavy artillery,” the group added. The fighting came on the third day of a regime attempt to clear rebel forces from the neighborhood in northeastern Damascus, one of several districts on the outskirts of the capital where opposition forces have a foothold. The clashes killed at least one rebel fighter, and there were reports of deaths among regime troops as well, the Observatory said. An explosion shook the neighborhood around midnight (2100 GMT Thursday), the Observatory added, but it was unclear what had caused the blast and there was no word on any casualties or damage. In the northern city of Aleppo, regime forces shelled districts, including the northern Sheikh Maqsud neighborhood, and clashes left at least two rebels dead in the central Sulayman al-Halabi district. 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 | IDBank, Dalma team up for Caucasian Deer Reintroduction Program IDBank has joined Dalma Garden Mall’s Green Challenge to support the Caucasian red deer reintroduction project. Through Ucom’s support the 12th Sunchild Festival concludes On May 24-28, with the support of Ucom, the 12th international environmental festival Sunchild took place in Yerevan. U.S., Turkey emphasize importance of Armenia-Azerbaijan peace deal Jake Sullivan and Akif Cagatay Kilic have discussed the normalization process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Armenia coach expects good football in Slovenia friendly The Armenian national team has left for Ljubljana a friendly match against Slovenia on June 4. |