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"SNIPER WAR" ESCALATES ALONG ARMENIAN-AZERBAIJANI LINE OF CONTACT
by Lilit Gevorgyan
Global Insight
November 28, 2011
An Azerbaijani Defence Ministry spokesperson, Teymur Abdullayev,
yesterday (28 November) confirmed that Armenian forces last week killed
an Azerbaijani soldier near the Line of Contact of the breakaway
Armenian-populated region of Nagorno Karabakh. Abdullayev denied,
however, that seven Azerbaijani soldiers had been killed by the
Armenian forces, as reported in Armenian press. He confirmed that
the conscript, 19-year-old Elmar Samad Habibzade, was killed on
26 November.
The death of the soldier follows an earlier statement made
by Armenia's Defence Ministry saying that, "since Azerbaijan's
political and military leadership does not care about the lives of
its own soldiers, we have to remind Azerbaijan's population that as
was the case before, the Armenian side's response to the death of
every Armenian soldier will be disproportionate". The statement was
made after two Armenian 19-year-old conscripts, Armen Simonyan and
Mihran Markaryan, were killed during the weekend of 19-20 November by
Azerbaijani snipers. Armenia's defence minister, Seyran Ohanyan, told
Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty that both the Nagrono Karabakh Defence
Army as well as Republic of Armenia Defence forces are considering
measures that will force Azerbaijan to refrain from sniper fire.
Armenian Defence Ministry sources stated that 42 Azerbaijani troops
have been killed on the Karabakh Line of Contact and along Armenia's
long border with Azerbaijan so far this year. Azerbaijan has not
issued the number of casualties it has sustained from the on-going
"sniper war" between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh.
Significance:Although technically frozen since 1994 when a ceasefire
agreement was brokered by international mediators, in recent years the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict has become increasingly active, with steadily
rising casualty figures on both sides. The so-called "sniper war" is
set to escalate as international mediators are unable to provide any
security guarantees or force the parties to withdraw snipers. Although
both sides blame each other for violating the ceasefire first, it
appears that a new round of hostilities is not in Armenian forces'
interests, having already secured their victory.
Conversely, the Azerbaijani army has seen an overhaul thanks to
energy export-generated state income, while the country's president,
Ilham Aliyev, regularly threatens to open a new war to bring reclaim
the breakaway region. In the absence of international peacekeepers
and in light the international mediators' inability to influence the
actions of the military, the "sniper wars" could serve as a prelude
to opening a new war in the region.
by Lilit Gevorgyan
Global Insight
November 28, 2011
An Azerbaijani Defence Ministry spokesperson, Teymur Abdullayev,
yesterday (28 November) confirmed that Armenian forces last week killed
an Azerbaijani soldier near the Line of Contact of the breakaway
Armenian-populated region of Nagorno Karabakh. Abdullayev denied,
however, that seven Azerbaijani soldiers had been killed by the
Armenian forces, as reported in Armenian press. He confirmed that
the conscript, 19-year-old Elmar Samad Habibzade, was killed on
26 November.
The death of the soldier follows an earlier statement made
by Armenia's Defence Ministry saying that, "since Azerbaijan's
political and military leadership does not care about the lives of
its own soldiers, we have to remind Azerbaijan's population that as
was the case before, the Armenian side's response to the death of
every Armenian soldier will be disproportionate". The statement was
made after two Armenian 19-year-old conscripts, Armen Simonyan and
Mihran Markaryan, were killed during the weekend of 19-20 November by
Azerbaijani snipers. Armenia's defence minister, Seyran Ohanyan, told
Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty that both the Nagrono Karabakh Defence
Army as well as Republic of Armenia Defence forces are considering
measures that will force Azerbaijan to refrain from sniper fire.
Armenian Defence Ministry sources stated that 42 Azerbaijani troops
have been killed on the Karabakh Line of Contact and along Armenia's
long border with Azerbaijan so far this year. Azerbaijan has not
issued the number of casualties it has sustained from the on-going
"sniper war" between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh.
Significance:Although technically frozen since 1994 when a ceasefire
agreement was brokered by international mediators, in recent years the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict has become increasingly active, with steadily
rising casualty figures on both sides. The so-called "sniper war" is
set to escalate as international mediators are unable to provide any
security guarantees or force the parties to withdraw snipers. Although
both sides blame each other for violating the ceasefire first, it
appears that a new round of hostilities is not in Armenian forces'
interests, having already secured their victory.
Conversely, the Azerbaijani army has seen an overhaul thanks to
energy export-generated state income, while the country's president,
Ilham Aliyev, regularly threatens to open a new war to bring reclaim
the breakaway region. In the absence of international peacekeepers
and in light the international mediators' inability to influence the
actions of the military, the "sniper wars" could serve as a prelude
to opening a new war in the region.