Kurds, IS fighting at Iraq-Syria border crossing as airstrike continueSeptember 30, 2014 - 22:10 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Heavy fighting is reported on both sides of a key border crossing between Iraq and Syria where Kurdish forces are battling Islamic State militants, BBC News reported. Iraqi Kurdish troops are said to have recaptured the town of Rabia, but suffered heavy casualties. Meanwhile, IS fighters have been trying to dislodge Syrian Kurdish forces on the other side of the border. It comes amid continuing air strikes by a US-led coalition on IS targets both in Syria and Iraq. On Tuesday, Sept 30, British warplanes bombed an armed position and a vehicle in Iraq - the first IS targets struck by UK forces. Britain said two Tornados were on an "armed reconnaissance mission" when they were asked to help Kurdish troops in north-west Iraq who were under attack. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that U.S.-led air strikes targeted IS militants on the outskirts of Kobani on Tuesday. The U.S. has not confirmed such reports. Also on Tuesday, a series of deadly bomb attacks were reported in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, and the holy Shia city of Karbala. Senior Iraqi Kurdish officials said their peshmerga special forces had made good initial progress during their dawn offensive in Rabia. The officials said that by nightfall, Rabia was firmly in Kurdish hands, although IS militants continued to hold out in just one building. Rabia lies about 100km (60 miles) north-west of Mosul - the city controlled by IS. But the Iraqi Kurdish forces also took heavy casualties - including the loss of a senior commander - when three suicide car bombers blew themselves up among the Kurdish troops. The bombers are believed to have travelled from IS-controlled areas further east. More than 30 Syrian Kurdish fighters are reported to have been killed as the jihadists took over several villages south of the border crossing. Photo: Reuters 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 | 17 bridges collapse as a result of floods in Armenia As a result of floods in Armenia’s northern Lori and Tavush provinces, 17 bridges, including five large ones, have collapsed. Armenia: Top cleric to retain title as he bids to become interim PM Galstanyan said earlier that the interim government would be tasked with stopping the “destruction of our homeland”. Ex-mayor of Karabakh capital arrested in Yerevan Ex-mayor of the Nagorno-Karabakh city of Stepanakert David Sargsyan has been arrested for 20 days. 269 people evacuated amid severe floods in Armenia’s north According to the Interior Ministry, 269 people have been evacuated from their homes in Lori and Tavush provinces. |