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Five Armenian soldiers killed, 8 wounded in latest ceasefire violation

24 August 2015 10:23 (UTC+04:00)
Five Armenian soldiers killed, 8 wounded in latest ceasefire violation

By Sara Rajabova

The Azerbaijani Armed Forces has prevented new provocations by Armenian troops along the contact line.

Violating the ceasefire agreement with Azerbaijan again on the evening of August 22, the Armenian military fired at Azerbaijani positions in the direction of Aghdam and Khojavand at the frontline using the 60 mm and 82 mm caliber rocket-propelled grenades and large-caliber machine guns, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said.

As a result of retaliatory fire by the Azerbaijani Army, an incursion by the enemy was prevented.

The ministry said although the Armenian side again attempted to hide its losses from the public, 5 enemy soldiers were killed and 8 were injured.

Following a short but heavy exchange, the Azerbaijani side decided to halt fire to let the other side remove the deceased from the fighting zone and render help to the wounded.

While preventing the enemy attack, three soldiers of the Azerbaijani Army received shrapnel wounds. After immediate emergency aid, they were transferred to military hospitals to receive more qualified assistance.

The conditions of the servicemen are satisfactory; there is no danger to their lives. After receiving military aid, the soldiers were returned to the military units.

The Defense Ministry announced that all the responsibility for further provocations along on the frontline and losses among the occupants would rest on Armenia’s military-political leadership.

The ministry warned in advance that the next blow on enemy positions would be more crushing, effective, and ruthless.

The situation on the contact line of Armenian-Azerbaijani troops remains tense despite a ceasefire agreement that the sides signed in 1994.

The Armenian Armed Forces, which occupied the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and seven surrounding regions and keeps over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory under its control, has recently intensified ceasefire breaches.

On August 23, truce violations reached their peak in the most recent wave as the Armenian troops shattered the ceasefire 173 times at different locations.

The following day, the Armenian military violated the ceasefire 167 times using the 60 mm and 82 mm caliber rocket-propelled grenades and large-caliber machine guns.

Frequent ceasefire violations aggravate the situation, leaving the Azerbaijani Army no choice but to retaliate.

As top Azerbaijani officials have stated, the Azerbaijani Army stands ready to liberate the occupied lands by military means if necessary.

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 1 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 so far.

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Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

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