Foreign troop presence decreased by a quarter last year: Iraqi PMJanuary 19, 2019 - 11:14 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Foreign troop numbers in Iraq fell by a quarter during 2018, Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has said, RT reports. “In January 2018 there had been almost 11,000 foreign fighters, about 70 percent of them are American, the others are from other countries,” according to Abdul Mahdi. “In December, the numbers have been reduced to almost 8,000, and the American troops are around 6,000… maybe I am wrong by some hundreds.” The PM said that more than 12 months after the government declared victory over Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) in Iraq, the drawdown was accelerating, AFP reported on Wednesday. “In recent months, the decrease has sped up and in the last two months there was a drop of 1,000 forces,” he said. 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 | Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Macron says France commemorates 109th anniv. of Armenian genocide Today France commemorates the 109th anniversary of the Armenian genocide of 1915, Macron says. Freedom House concerned by mounting reports of police violence in Armenia Freedom House urged Armenian authorities to investigate this pattern of excessive force and inhumane treatment. |