Jandaris residents flee to Afrin amid Turkish advancementFebruary 26, 2018 - 10:32 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The city of Afrin received a major number of villagers from the nearby Jandaris region as they fled the advancement of Turkish forces and bombardment of their homes on Saturday, February 24, Al-Masdar News reports citing video footage by Ruptly. Turkish forces seized a number of sites at the Jandaris axis over the past week, according to local media. Villagers can be seen arriving in all sorts of vehicles from cars to trucks to tractors, piled high with their belongings as they enter the city of Afrin. One of those fleeing, Mohammed explained: “We have escaped from the village of Jumana, we are being bombed at random, the planes are always above the sky, we are all fleeing”. Another fleeing villager cited the Turkish president: “Erdogan and the Free Army are bombing us, they have demolished our homes” while another stated bluntly “his goal is to exterminate the Kurdish people”. The Turkish military launched airstrikes and rockets on Kurdish positions in Afrin shortly after Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the launch of the military operation dubbed ‘Olive Branch.’ The Turkish President also declared that the next destination for Turkish forces would be Syria’s Manbij. Turkey views the YPG, which is active in northern Syria, as an extension of the banned militant group Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). 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 | Armenia, Russia discuss life extension of Metsamor nuclear plant Issues regarding the extension of life of the 2nd power unit of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant were discussed in Yerevan. Armenians stage more campaigns against territorial concessions to Azerbaijan Protesters blocked more roads across Armenia on Friday, April 26 in continuing attempts to scuttle territorial concessions to Azerbaijan. Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. |