Azerbaijan’s senior commander praises combat readiness of servicemen
By Sara Rajabova
A senior commander of Azerbaijan's army praised the combat readiness of the country's servicemen.
The commander of the Interior Troops, Major General Shahin Mammadov visited an N-military unit in Barda to check closely the level of fulfilling combat missions, the Interior Troops reported on August 8.
Mammadov said the combat readiness of the military units and the morale of the army personnel are at a high level. He also observed the conditions of the servicemen.
Mammadov stressed that importance of growing economic power and military capabilities of the army adding that the targeted reforms implemented under the leadership of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev have paid off.
He noted that the Azerbaijani army is now equipped with the most modern weapons and equipment. According to him, these capabilities have turned the army into the strongest army in the South Caucasus.
Mammadov expressed satisfaction with the measures to enhance combat readiness of the military units over the past period. He stressed the importance of further efforts to improve the professional skills of officers and warrant officers.
Armenian armed forces aggravated tensions along the frontline by attacking the Azerbaijani positions. Armenia began to escalate tensions on the border areas on July 31. Sporadic fighting has continued ever since. Thirteen Azerbaijani servicemen were killed and several others injured during the clashes between two sides.
Armenian forces retreated after fierce fighting and suffering from heavy losses. Armenia hasn't released yet the exact number of casualties.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in conflict which emerged over Armenia's territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor for over two decades.
Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since 1994, but long-standing efforts by U.S., Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far.
Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on its pullout from the neighboring country's territories.