Military launches last operation to expel Islamic State from IraqNovember 23, 2017 - 13:45 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Iraqi Armed Forces launched their last operation to expel the Islamic State (ISIS) from Iraq, the official media wing for the Iraqi Ministry of Defense announced on Thursday, November 23, Al-Masdar News reports. Led by the army and Hashd Al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units), the Iraqi Armed Forces struck the Islamic State’s last positions inside the northwestern countryside of the Al-Anbar Governorate. So far, no gains have been announced by the Iraqi Armed Forces; furthermore, this operation will likely take several weeks to complete as the Islamic State is deeply entrenched in the desert area of Al-Anbar. The main objective of the offensive is to seal the Iraqi-Syrian border, which has been the Islamic State’s lifeline in both countries. Photo. AP 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. |