MoD: Two servicemen wounded in Armenia's new large-scale sabotage

(MENAFN- AzerNews) By Vafa Ismayilova

Two Azerbaijani servicemen have been wounded as a result of a large-scale Armenian provocation in Kalbajar and Lachin regions on the state border, the Defence Ministry reported on November 16.

"Two of our servicemen were wounded. The Armenian armed forces have committed large-scale provocations against our country in Kalbajar and Lachin regions on the state border. Armenia's military units launched a surprise military operation at around 1100 on November 16 to seize the heights in this direction of the state border and gain more favorable positions by obtaining military superiority," the ministry said.

The Armenian military units, which concentrated additional manpower, military and special equipment to the border and combat positions located in Basarkechar and Garakilsa regions, attacked the Azerbaijani army positions in Kalbajar and Lachin regions, the report added.

The opposite side intensively fired at the Azerbaijani army positions using firearms and grenades of various calibers and damaged Azerbaijan's battle posts.

"As a result, according to preliminary information, two servicemen of the Azerbaijani army were wounded. The wounded received first aid. At present, their lives are not in danger," the ministry stressed.

It added that the Azerbaijani units and forces located in the direction of Kalbajar and Lachin immediately carried out an urgent operation to prevent the Armenian armed forces' combat activity.

"Initially, the movement of the opposite side was restricted, its forces and means were damaged. As a result of the taken decisive measures, the Armenian servicemen were disarmed and detained, a large number of weapons of various calibers and a large amount of ammunition were seized," the report added.

The ministry stressed that the operation of the Armenian military units, which wanted to gain a short-term advantage by committing large-scale provocations, completely failed in terms of operations and tactics.

"Another attempt by Yerevan to commit sabotage has failed," the ministry said.

The Azerbaijani army positions came under Armenian fire in a number of settlements from 1615 on November 15 to 0430 (local time) on November 16, the Defence Ministry reported earlier on November 16.

Earlier, Baku condemned Yerevan for the recent escalation of tension on the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border.

In an official statement posted on the Foreign Ministry website on November 15, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Leyla Abdullayeva said: "All responsibility for the current tension lies directly with the military and political leadership of Armenia."

The escalation of tension between Azerbaijan and Armenia has been observed since November 13, 2021, when several Azerbaijani servicemen were wounded in the attack committed by members of illegal Armenian armed formations near Shusha city on the Azerbaijani territory currently under Russian peacekeepers' temporary control.

The Azerbaijani army positions in liberated Kalbajar and Lachin regions have been under Armenian fire since the evening of November 13.

It should be noted that on November 15, Armenian President Armen Sargsyan dismissed Arshak Karapetyan from the post of defence minister and appointed Suren Papikyan as new minister by the suggestion of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

This is the fourth defence minister in Armenia since Pashinyan came to force in Armenia. Three of them were appointed after Armenia signed an act of surrender on November 10, 2020, following the 44-day war with Azerbaijan. 

Earlier, the Azerbaijani foreign and defence ministries slammed former Armenian Defence Minister Arshak Karapetyan's illegal visit to Azerbaijan's Karabakh region as a provocative act aimed at aggravating the situation and causing military confrontation.

It should be noted that Baku repeatedly made all the necessary proposals to Yerevan with regard to normalizing the post-war regional situation. Namely - to sign a peace treaty, to recognize each other's territorial integrity and to begin the delimitation and demarcation of borders. 

About 2,000 Russian peacekeepers have been deployed for five years in Karabakh under the trilateral cease-fire deal signed by Baku, Moscow and Yerevan on 10 November 2020. The signed agreement brought an end to six weeks of fighting between Armenia.

The peace agreement stipulated the return of Azerbaijan's Armenian-occupied Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin regions and urged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it has occupied since the early 1990s.

Armenia still fails to withdraw all its troops from Azerbaijan under the ceasefire deal. Before the signing of the deal, the Azerbaijani army had liberated around 300 villages, settlements, city centers, and historic Shusha city.

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