IS executes 24 civilians in 24 hours after seizing Syrian villageJuly 29, 2016 - 16:59 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Islamic State jihadist group has executed at least 24 civilians after seizing a village in northern Syria from a U.S.-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance, a monitor said Friday, July 29, according to AFP. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said IS executed 24 civilians "in the last 24 hours" after taking Buyir from the Syrian Democratic Forces. The village is located some 10 kilometres northwest of Manbij, a key waypoint between the Turkish border and the IS de facto capital of Raqqa city. IS seized control of several villages in the countryside northwest of Manbij since launching a "fierce assault" on Thursday, according to the Observatory, which relies on sources inside Syria for its information. The SDF, backed by air strikes from a U.S-led coalition, launched an offensive to retake Manbij from IS on May 31. The alliance managed to enter the town but have since faced fierce opposition from the jihadists who have fought back with suicide bombers and car bombs. More than 280,000 have been killed and millions displaced in Syria's five-year conflict. Top stories 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". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |