Fierce clashes reported near Aleppo as thousands fleeFebruary 6, 2016 - 12:52 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Fierce clashes have been reported near Aleppo in northern Syria, as government forces try to surround rebels holed up in the strategic city, according to BBC News. Monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said about 120 fighters on both sides had been killed around the town of Ratyan on Friday, February 5. As many as 20,000 refugees fleeing the fighting have spent the night at a border crossing with Turkey. Turkey says it is prepared to help the refugees but the frontier is shut. In the past few days, the Syrian army backed by Russian air power has made a series of gains in Aleppo province. Syrian state TV said on Friday that pro-government forces had seized Ratyan, just north of Aleppo city. Photo: Molhem Barakat/ 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 | 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. Armenian Catholicos calls for national unity against threats Karekin II issued a message on Republic Day marking the anniversary of the First Armenian Republic. Pashinyan: Armenia’s desired goal is “on the horizon” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that Armenia is moving forward “without interruption”. Opposition leader, supporters spend night at Sardarapat memorial Police made nearly 300 arrests the day before as Galstanyan and his supporters continued to demonstrate in Yerevan. |