Four servicemen killed in Armenian terror, sabotage attacks amidst peace deal
By Aisha Jabbarova
Four Azerbaijani servicemen were killed and two other were injured during Armenian attacks on new-liberated lands despite the trilateral peace deal signed on November 10, State Security Service and Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a joint statement on December 13.
Three servicemen of on the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense were killed and two servicemen were wounded as a result of the Armenians’ sudden attack on November 26, in Sur village of Azerbaijan’s Khojavend district, which was liberated from the Armenian occupation.
On December 8, an Azerbaijani serviceman was killed and an employee of Azerbaijan’s Azercell company was severely injured during the installation of communication lines and transmission equipment near Hadrut settlement in the same district.
Taking into account the abovementioned facts, the Azerbaijani State Security Service was forced to conduct an anti-terrorist operation in the district, according to the statement.
It is unacceptable for some Armenian officials and the Armenian media to make baseless allegations against the Russian peacekeeping forces and the Azerbaijani side in such case, the statement reads.
“The Armenian side must ensure the implementation of the provisions of the tripartite declaration on complete ceasefire and cessation of all hostilities, support the maintenance of the ceasefire regime and peace, refrain from provocations through the remaining Armenian armed groups or the armed forces, deliberately aggravating the situation and using such cases for domestic political purposes,” the statement further reads.
The State Security Service and the ministry said that some Armenian Armed Forces remained in the forest in the northwestern part of Hadrut settlement of Azerbaijan’s Khojavend district.
The Azerbaijani side ensured all the conditions for the withdrawal of the mentioned Armenian armed groups from the territory.
The servicemen of the Russian peacekeeping forces arrived in the area during difficult weather conditions and appealed to the Armenian armed groups in the forest through loudspeakers saying that necessary measures were taken to evacuate them from the area.
In general, the peacekeeping forces of the Russian Federation performed their duties responsibly and professionally to maintain the ceasefire regime and to evacuate the so-called "missing" Armenian servicemen.
These Armenian armed groups did not leave the territory, but created combat positions and committed acts of terror, sabotage against Azerbaijani civilians and servicemen in the area recently.