Azerbaijani Army prevents Armenian attacks on frontline with strong retaliatory response

/By AzerNews/

By Sara Rajabova

The heavy battles on the contact line of Armenian-Azerbaijani troops as a result of provocations by the Armenian armed forces continue to claim the lives of the servicemen on both sides.

The situation on the frontline remains tense as the Armenian military continues to break the ceasefire, the Azerbaijani defense ministry reported.

However, the enemy’s attempts to infiltrate the contact line were prevented during the day and at night on September 27, as a result of the preventive measures taken by the Azerbaijani armed forces.

Seven servicemen were killed and several were injured in a strike at the frontline trenches and positions of the Armenian military units, as well as at rallying points for military personnel and equipment, the ministry said.

Three servicemen of the Azerbaijani armed forces –Valiyev Rauf, Ahmadzade Neman, and Mustafazade Zohrab-- died in the battles with the enemy in various directions of the frontline.

The ministry leadership extended condolences to the families and relatives of the martyrs.

The ministry further reported that in total the Armenian armed forces broke the ceasefire with Azerbaijan 116 times in various parts of the contact in the last 24 hours using heavy machine guns and mortars.

The Azerbaijani military fully controls the operational conditions along the line of contact line and are taking relevant measures to prevent Armenian provocations on the frontline, according to the ministry.

The Armenian military has intensified sabotage operations by consistently attacking the positions of Azerbaijani armed forces.

As a result of a bloody battle on September 25, Azerbaijani soldier Elshan Vagif Mammadov was killed, while another 3 servicemen were injured as a result of the use of high-caliber weapons and 82-millimeter mortars by Armenian military units. The injured Azerbaijani servicemen are in critical condition and are currently receiving medical assistance.

As a result of the adequate measures taken by Azerbaijani Army, four Armenian servicemen were killed, while 16 were injured. Ten of the injured are in critical condition, according to Azerbaijan’s defense ministry.

The ministry warned that the military-political regime in Armenia bears full responsibility for the escalation of fighting.

Frequent shelling by the Armenian military has also put the lives of the residents of Azerbaijan’s frontline settlements in danger causing casualties and serious damages to homes and farms.

Recently, a number of civilians in Azerbaijan were injured as a result of shelling by the Armenian armed forces.

An Azerbaijani civilian was killed in Azerbaijan’s Aghdam region by the Armenian military on the night of September 26. The Defense Ministry told Trend that the Armenian military used mortars to fire at Azerbaijani villages, as a result killing Azerbaijani civilian Bahram Baghirov.

Also, resident of Azerbaijan’s Gazakh region, Elmira Dursunova, was wounded on September 23 as a result of yet another provocation by the Armenian military.

Despite the fact that the representatives of international organizations frequently visit these regions and monitor the situation on the ground, no effective measures have been taken to stop Armenian aggression against civilians.

The situation on the contact line of Armenian-Azerbaijani troops remains tense despite a ceasefire agreement that the sides signed in 1994. The Armenian Army continually violates the armistice from almost all directions, consistently firing on Azerbaijani positions.

This occupant country remains unpunished for the crimes that it committed against the Azerbaijani people.

Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. Since the war, the Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions.

Armenia continues the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal of armed forces.

Peace talks brokered by mediators from Russia, France, and the U.S. have produced no results thus far.