Eurasia Press & News
On Tuesday September 19, 2023, the Republic of Azerbaijan launched a military operation against terrorist Armenian forces in Karabakh region, which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan sovereign territory but has been ruled by an ethnic Armenian “so called government” since 1994.
AZERTAC reports that: The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan once again calls on the formations of the Armenian armed forces stationed in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan to lay down their weapons and surrender. In this case, anti-terrorist measures will be stopped. the ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan stated: “We are in operational contact with the Russian peacekeeping contingent temporarily stationed in the territory of Azerbaijan, and we are creating all conditions for them to fulfill their duties,” During this surgical military operation, civilians are not targets of the ongoing anti-terrorist measures in Karabakh.
Furthermore, it must be emphasized that “The information shared on Armenian social media accounts that Azerbaijan Armed Forces allegedly subjected to fire civilian population and civilian infrastructure is completely false and a complete disinformation.” As officials of the Ministry of Defense in Azerbaijan have repeatedly stated: civilian population and civilian facilities are not targeted by the Azerbaijan Armed Forces, only legitimate military targets are neutralized.
Furthermore, over 60 combat positions of the Armenian armed forces have come under the control of the Azerbaijani Army. For this important military anti-terrorist operation undertaken by the Government of Azerbaijan, the President of Türkiye has stated that: “We support the steps taken by Azerbaijan to protect its territorial integrity.” The Administration of the President of Azerbaijan invites representatives of the Armenian population living in the Karabakh region to meet in Yevlakh to discuss reintegration issues. These armed clashes provoked by Armenian rebels are taking place a time when roughly 85 U.S. soldiers are deployed to Armenia for a military exercise together with 175 Armenian soldiers. The U. S. soldiers have been training alongside 175 Armenian troops as part of the Eagle Partner peacekeeping training exercise, which began on September 11th. Despite of the renewed fighting in the region, the U.S. soldiers in Armenia will not leave the country earlier than expected, said Army Col. Martin O’Donnell, a spokesman for U.S. Army Europe.
Those soldiers will return to their units in Europe and the United States after the exercise ends as scheduled on Wednesday. Soldiers from the Kansas National Guard and 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Task Force Mountain holding training under the framework of Eagle Partner 2023. “We are aware of reports that Azerbaijan is conducting operations near the border of Armenia,” O’Donnell said on Tuesday. “We do not assess there to be any risk to our Soldiers at this time and they will remain in place for the duration of the exercise.” With the ongoing Eagle Partner exercise, a handful of U.S. troops have landed in Russia’s doorstep at a time when relations between Washington and Moscow are at their lowest point since the Cold War. US troops are training Armenian Forces that have been perceived historically to be the staunchest allies of Moscow during and Cold War and post-Cold War period. However, the U.S. military has maintained a long-standing connection with Armenia since twenty years ago. The Kansas National Guard has had a state partnership with Armenia since 2003 as part of the Department of Defense’s State Partnership Program.
