Six dead, two wounded in Azeri military base skirmish
Several Azerbaijani servicemen were killed in an armed skirmish
that occurred at a Defense Ministry military unit on Thursday
evening.
At about 6 p.m., two soldiers opened fire from submachine guns, killing four servicemen and wounding two others, before shooting each other dead.
It's not clear what provoked the incident, the Defense Ministry said.
According to military sources, the military unit is located in the western Dashkasan district. Private soldiers are said to have shot at officers. Those killed include a lieutenant-colonel, a captain, a senior lieutenant and a warrant officer, while those wounded are a major and a serviceman who was serving in the military overtime.
Local media reported that the soldiers had to resort to violence due to facing abuse.
A number of sources claimed that the soldiers who opened fire had been shot dead while trying to escape.
Officials at Baku's Military Hospital say they are under strict orders not to disclose any information about the dead or wounded. The Military Prosecutor's Office says it has launched an investigation.
Ilqar Mammadov, a Baku-based political analyst, says the shooting will likely lead to criticism and sharper scrutiny of how the armed services are managed.
"This is a very sad incident. And it most likely reflects problems in the military administration," Mammadov said. "These kinds of attacks happen occasionally on military bases, where sometimes emotions run high."
Yashar Jafarli, chairman of the Union of Retired Officers, says 73 servicemen died in the military in 2009, and most of them did not die on the frontline, referring to the contact line of the troops of Azerbaijan and Armenia, which face long-standing conflict. Several cases of soldiers shooting at servicemen of higher ranks have been reported in the past two years.
The most uproarious crime of this kind was the shooting unleashed in May 2009 by a 20-year-old soldier at five other military men, of whom four were killed and the other was wounded. The crime is said to have been caused by an insult inflicted by the officers. The soldier in question has lately been sentenced to life in prison.*
At about 6 p.m., two soldiers opened fire from submachine guns, killing four servicemen and wounding two others, before shooting each other dead.
It's not clear what provoked the incident, the Defense Ministry said.
According to military sources, the military unit is located in the western Dashkasan district. Private soldiers are said to have shot at officers. Those killed include a lieutenant-colonel, a captain, a senior lieutenant and a warrant officer, while those wounded are a major and a serviceman who was serving in the military overtime.
Local media reported that the soldiers had to resort to violence due to facing abuse.
A number of sources claimed that the soldiers who opened fire had been shot dead while trying to escape.
Officials at Baku's Military Hospital say they are under strict orders not to disclose any information about the dead or wounded. The Military Prosecutor's Office says it has launched an investigation.
Ilqar Mammadov, a Baku-based political analyst, says the shooting will likely lead to criticism and sharper scrutiny of how the armed services are managed.
"This is a very sad incident. And it most likely reflects problems in the military administration," Mammadov said. "These kinds of attacks happen occasionally on military bases, where sometimes emotions run high."
Yashar Jafarli, chairman of the Union of Retired Officers, says 73 servicemen died in the military in 2009, and most of them did not die on the frontline, referring to the contact line of the troops of Azerbaijan and Armenia, which face long-standing conflict. Several cases of soldiers shooting at servicemen of higher ranks have been reported in the past two years.
The most uproarious crime of this kind was the shooting unleashed in May 2009 by a 20-year-old soldier at five other military men, of whom four were killed and the other was wounded. The crime is said to have been caused by an insult inflicted by the officers. The soldier in question has lately been sentenced to life in prison.*
Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention.
Choose to support open, independent, quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis.
By subscribing to our online newspaper, you can have full digital access to all news, analysis, and much more.
Subscribe
You can also follow AzerNEWS on Twitter @AzerNewsAz or Facebook @AzerNewsNewspaper
Thank you!