Fifty Azerbaijani Servicemen Killed After Armenian Military's Armed Provocation

The Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan announced on Tuesday that 50 Azerbaijani servicemen were killed in the recent escalations of hostilities on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.

The ministry published the names of the servicemen in a detailed list posted on its official website. Forty-two of the casualties were servicemen of the Azerbaijan Armed Forces, while eight are from the State Border Service.

The Armenian Armed Forces committed large-scale provocations on the state border on September 13. The intensive shelling of the Azerbaijani positions was accompanied by the deployment of saboteurs who mined the territories and supply routes between the units of the Azerbaijani army in the Lachin, Kalbajar, and Dashkasan districts.

According to the Defense Ministry, counter-offensive measures taken by the Azerbaijani army resulted in the manpower and combat equipment losses of the Armenian armed forces involved in offensive and sabotage operations. According to official data, 49 servicemen of the Armenian army were killed and dozens wounded. The Baku-based Caliber.Az news service claimed that the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan also destroyed cannons, military trucks with ammunition, a military unit and S-300 air defense systems of the Armenian military as a result of the retaliatory measures.

In the meantime, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Azerbaijan reported the injuries of two Azerbaijani civilians in the wake of Armenia’s provocations in Kalbajar. As a result of the fire opened by the units of the Armenian Armed Forces, Musayev Asim, born in 1975, and Orujov Arzuman, born in 1984, who were engaged in animal husbandry in the territory of Kalbajar region, were wounded. 

“At present, Musaev is being treated at a hospital in the city of Ganja, his condition is assessed as moderate, while Orujov was released after receiving first aid,” the Office said in a statement.

On September 14, the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan announced the resumption of armed provocations by the Armenian military. According to the ministry, the incidents took place on the night of September 13-14 and in the morning on Wednesday.

The Armenian armed forces once again opened fire on Azerbaijan army units stationed in the directions of Kalbajar and Lachin regions with mortars and artillery weapons. The Azerbaijani troops responded to the shelling with retaliatory measures.

According to Azerbaijani media reports, the main purpose of Wednesday’s attack of the Armenian army was to capture military positions. However, they retreated suffering manpower losses.