Kerry says Islamic State will be "seriously weakened" by yearendJanuary 22, 2016 - 11:05 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday, January 21 said the Islamic State group would be "very seriously" weakened in Syria and Iraq this year, AFP reports. Air strikes by the alliance that includes Gulf states, France and Britain have been pounding IS positions since August 2014, with Washington claiming major gains against the extremists. "I think that by the end of 2016, our goal of very seriously denting Daesh in Iraq and Syria and of trying to have an impact on Mosul (in Iraq) and Raqa (in Syria) will be achieved," Kerry told reporters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, using an alternative name for IS. "We are on track, we are doing serious damage to Daesh today," he said, according to AFP. The Pentagon estimates that IS has lost 20-30 percent of the total territory they were in control of in Iraq and Syria, including up to 40 percent in Iraq alone. Kerry said he would meet the foreign ministers of 24 coalition nations in Rome on February 2 to discuss strategy and possible "additional commitments". The U.S, has called on allies to contribute special forces as a key part of the efforts to bolster coalition forces fighting the jihadist group. 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 | Police try to impede Armenian Church head’s access to war memorial Police tried to stop the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Karekin II, from visiting a war memorial. Greece says ready to help as Armenia fights flooding consequences Greece is ready to assist Armenia in combatting the consequences of deadly floods in the country’s north. “He will leave”: Protest leader no longer demands meeting with Pashinyan Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan no longer demands a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Lemkin Institute petition seeks release of Armenians in Azerbaijan The Lemkin Institute is deeply concerned about the continued illegal detention of political prisoners from Karabakh in Azerbaijan. |