68 replies to this topic

[AK-47]

Azerbaijan says Armenian attack kills soldier

BAKU (Reuters) - Armenian troops killed an Azeri soldier in Nagorno-Artsax on Sunday, Azerbaijan's defence ministry said, bringing to three the number of Azeris reported killed in the disputed region at the weekend.

Azeri television said Armenians killed two Azeri citizens in the same area on Saturday.

Sixteen soldiers from both sides died in clashes in Nagorno-Artsax earlier in the week, according to Azeri reports, one of the worst breeches of a 1994 ceasefire there.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a 1992-94 war over the mountainous region which killed around 35,000 people. They remain technically at war and diplomatic ties have been cut.

The Armenian-backed administration in Nagorno-Artsax said the area was quiet and that reports of any attack were misinformation from the Azeri side.

Armenian President Robert Kocharyan last week ordered emergency rule in the capital Yerevan after street battles between protesters and police killed eight people. The protesters say he rigged a February 19 election.

Armenia has accused Azerbaijan of trying to take advantage of its unsettled domestic situation by attacking during the state of emergency.

Azerbaijan said Armenia had launched the attacks to deflect attention away from its domestic problems.

(Reporting by Lada Yevgrashina and Hasmik Mrtchyan in Yerevan; Writing by James Kilner in Moscow; Editing by Jon Boyle)

Source: http://uk.reuters.co...034057720080310

[AVO]

Here is what Korneljj said about it at http://kornelij.live...com/361243.html

Специально звонил в госпиталь в Мартакерте и Степанакерте. С нашей стороны 2 ранненых. Оба подорвались на мине. У одного ампутировали ногу, второй ранен легче. У азиков, как минимум, 8 убитых. Информация окончательная и точная .
Ситуация по рассказам наших спецназовцев была такой.

Диверсионная группа азиков из 3 человек неудачно перешла линию фронта. Их обнаружили из нашего передового НП. С наших постов начался обстрел группы с флангов и наши интенсивным огнем перерезали путь азиков к отступлению. Чтобы окопаться и ждать подмоги, они захватили наш передовой НП. Наши 2 солдата и офицер (он подорвался на мине) которые находились на НП после обнаружения противника получили приказ оставить опасную позицию. После этого наши просто расстреляли из гранатометов из минометов НП с азиками. То есть, как такового, близкого контакта с противником не было. Отсюда большие потерии у азиков, и 2 раненных у нас. Азики попытались спасти своих, однако получив потери, отступили. Два азиковских трупа нашли на нашем НП, третий убитый остался лежать на нейтральной зоне. Остальные пять убитых азиков - жертвы неудачной спасательной операции.

Translation (arachin paragraph@ togh mna hyeren)

Hatuk zangetsi Martakerti yev Stepanakerti hivandanotsner@. Mer koghmits unenq 2 viravorvatsner. Erkusnel kangnel en akani(mine) vra. Meki votq@ amputatsia en arel, erkrod@ statsel e tetev verqer. babooneri mot amenaqich@ 8 zoh. Inofrmatian verchnakan e yev chisht.

A diversion group of 3 Azeris tried to cross the border. Our solders spoted them and opened fire. Azeirs tried to fall back, but due to heavy fire from our positions they were unsuccessful. To save themselves they entered one of our front positions. 2 solders and 1 officer that were in that position were ordered to leave. While falling back the officer has stepped on a mine. After that, the position was hit with artillery. There was no close contact with the enemy. Azeris tried to save their soldiers, but after receiving losses gave up. 2 dead Azeris were found in the bombed position another was left in neutral zone. The other 5 dead azeris were from the unsuccessful rescue mission.

Thank you Kornelij and Nazarian

[Ashot]

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs deeply regret loss of life in Nagorno Artsax conflict

The three Minsk Group Co-Chairmen - Ambassador Yury Merzlyakov of the Russian Federation, Ambassador Bernard Fassier of France and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza of the United States - issued the following statement:

"The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs deeply regret the tragic loss of life on March 4 along the Line of Contact in the Nagorno-Artsax conflict. The Co-Chairs call on the parties to restore confidence along the Line of Contact and desist from any further confrontations, escalation of violence or warmongering rhetoric.

US Co-Chair Matt Bryza and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, are currently in the region, where they have met on behalf of the three mediators with both sides to defuse the crisis. As of today, the ceasefire has been restored and the situation on the Line of Contact is calm. The Co Chairs call upon both Sides to strictly abide by the provisions of the Arrangement on strengthening the ceasefire in the Nagorno-Artsax Conflict of February 4, 1995.

The Co-Chairs reiterate that there is no military solution to the Nagorno-Artsax conflict. The outbreak of hostilities would destabilize the entire region, with calamitous consequences for all involved. The recent casualties and loss of life only underscore the urgent need for both sides to reach to an agreement peacefully through ongoing negotiations under the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

The Co-Chairs call on Armenia and Azerbaijan to redouble their efforts to endorse the Basic Principles for the peaceful resolution of the conflict presented to the sides on the margins of the Madrid OSCE Ministerial in November 2007, and to begin as soon as possible the process of drafting a peace agreement on this basis. The Co-Chairs reiterate their support for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and that Nagorno-Artsax's status is the subject of negotiations."

Public Radio of Armenia

[Ashot]

NKR MOD refutes the misinformation of Azerbaijan

The NKR Ministry of Defense today refuted the statement of the Azerbaijani side that on March 8 and 9 the Artsaxi forces fired the frontier settlements in Aghdam region, as a result of which two were killed and another two were wounded.

Head of the Press Service of NKR Ministry of Defense, Lieutenant Colonel Senor Hasratyan told Mediamax that “such misinformation of official Baku obviously pursues non-constructive objectives.” According to Hasratyan, if we do not take into consideration separate cases of violation of the cease fire regime, the situation along the contact line of the Armed Forces of Nagorno Artsax and Azerbaijan can be considered calm.

“The Karabkhi forces fully control the situation and in case of necessity they will give a worthy response to any provocation of the Azerbaijani side,” Senor Hasratyan informed.

Public Radio of Armenia

[AK-47]

Azeri Soldier ‘Escapes To Armenia’

An Azerbaijani soldier crossed into northeastern Armenia and surrendered to Armenian troops stationed there at the weekend, claiming to have been ill-treated by his commanders, the Defense Ministry in Yerevan said on Wednesday.

According to the ministry spokesman, Colonel Seyran Shahsuvarian, Yaghub Mukhtarov, 19, told Armenian military officials that he decided to desert from his army unit in western Azerbaijan after being refused medical assistance and beaten up by its officers. Shahsuvarian said his body bore “numerous traces of severe beating.”

The incident was reported just over a month after Armenia deported to an unnamed European country an Azerbaijani army conscript who had reportedly been taken prisoner in similar circumstances in December 2006. According to the Armenian military, Samir Mamedov claimed to have been systematically mistreated and humiliated by his comrades and asked not to be repatriated.

Mamedov’s escape came the day after the repatriation of another Azerbaijani soldier who spent two weeks in Armenian captivity. The soldier, Vusal Garajayev, was convicted of high treason and sentenced him to 11 years in prison by a military court in Baku in May 2007.

For its part, Azerbaijan released in late January an Armenian serviceman taken prisoner by Azerbaijani forces in August 2007 after deserting from his army unit deployed in Nagorno-Artsax. Private Hambartsum Asatrian claimed that he mistakenly strayed into Azerbaijani-controlled territory north of Artsax.

Source: http://www.armeniali...F6D20C5F21E.ASP

[Nazarian]

Azeri Soldier ‘Escapes To Armenia’

An Azerbaijani soldier crossed into northeastern Armenia and surrendered to Armenian troops stationed there at the weekend, claiming to have been ill-treated by his commanders, the Defense Ministry in Yerevan said on Wednesday.

According to the ministry spokesman, Colonel Seyran Shahsuvarian, Yaghub Mukhtarov, 19, told Armenian military officials that he decided to desert from his army unit in western Azerbaijan after being refused medical assistance and beaten up by its officers. Shahsuvarian said his body bore “numerous traces of severe beating.”

The incident was reported just over a month after Armenia deported to an unnamed European country an Azerbaijani army conscript who had reportedly been taken prisoner in similar circumstances in December 2006. According to the Armenian military, Samir Mamedov claimed to have been systematically mistreated and humiliated by his comrades and asked not to be repatriated.

Mamedov’s escape came the day after the repatriation of another Azerbaijani soldier who spent two weeks in Armenian captivity. The soldier, Vusal Garajayev, was convicted of high treason and sentenced him to 11 years in prison by a military court in Baku in May 2007.

For its part, Azerbaijan released in late January an Armenian serviceman taken prisoner by Azerbaijani forces in August 2007 after deserting from his army unit deployed in Nagorno-Artsax. Private Hambartsum Asatrian claimed that he mistakenly strayed into Azerbaijani-controlled territory north of Artsax.

Source: http://www.armeniali...F6D20C5F21E.ASP

If true, this is very good news. If we start sending Azeri deserters to European countries (heck, I'm sure they wouldn't mind going to Albania), their army will get demoralized as the incidents continue. Imagine their soldiers trying to come to the Armenian side every other day! As a response their commanders will start shooting them which will create a sense of fear and resentment among the ranks.

[Ashot]

Knollenberg and Schiff press Sec. Rice on White House proposal to break Armenia-Azerbaijan military aid parity

13.03.2008 10:56

Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) pressed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on the Administrations proposal to break an agreement to maintain military aid parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan, citing Bakus threats of renewed aggression and its recent cross-border attacks against Nagorno Artsax, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

Calling the recent Azerbaijani attacks against Nagorno Artsaxs Mardakert region as the the worst breach [of the cease fire] in over 10 years, Rep. Knollenberg asked Secretary Rice how the Administration intends to respond to Azerbaijans aggression and war rhetoric. She replied that, we are very concerned about the heating up rhetoric but I think the way to deal with this is to open channels to both sides and to try to bring them to a solution.

Rep. Knollenberg followed up noting that, I wasnt the least bit kidding about removing their military funding because if Azerbaijan is building up to a point, that they have also said that they would move into Armenia and challenge them whenever they want to because they have an economic situation that is far stronger than Armenia, and in time they probably could put together a military organization that would march in and take over. Now thats not the outcome any of us want, but I am really concerned about that. That is why I am suggesting that we take away their military funding or at least threaten it  because they are threatening Armenia.

In response to Rep. Schiffs concerns that the Presidents budget called for a break in military aid parity to Armenia and Azerbaijan, Secretary Rice cited concerns about the current state of emergency in Armenia. Rep. Schiff interjected that no state of emergency existed when the Presidents budget was announced in early February, prompting Secretary Rice to state that Armenia received Millennium Challenge Account funding and is the highest recipient of per capita aid in the Caucasus.

The budget proposed by the White House last month sought to dramatically slash aid to Armenia by 59%, and, once again, proposed tipping the military aid balance in favor of Azerbaijan, despite Baku's threats to use it growing military arsenal to restart its war against Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh.

Congressman Knollenberg and his Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) are currently collecting signatures from their House colleagues on a letter urging the leaders of the US State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee to support provisions in the FY09 foreign aid bill that advance US interests and American values in Armenia and the surrounding region.

Public Radio of Armenia

[AK-47]

Armenian soldier killed at border

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ As result of firing commenced by the Azeri side, on May 15, at 11.45 a.m. Armenian soldier Andranik Hayrapetyan, 19, was wounded in abdomen.

As RA Defense Minister’s spokesman, colonel Seyran Shahsuvaran told PanARMENIAN.Net, Hayrapetyan was taken to hospital and died at 12.30 p.m.

Investigation has been launched.

Source: http://www.panarmeni.../eng/?nid=26069

[AK-47]

Reply to yesterday's murder of an Armenian soldier by baboonjan soldiers.

--------------------------------
Azerbaijani army officer killed by Armenians
17 May 2008 [12:07] - Today.Az
One more officer of the Azerbaijani armed forces was killed in the result of ceasefire violation today.

Day.Az reports with reference to the ANS-Press Artsax bureau that on at 19:30 on May 16
24 year old lieutenant Vuqar Najafov died of gun wound in Chemenli village of Aghdam.

It should be noted that Najafov was recruited by the military commissariat of Fizuli region.