Operation "Fury" in Karabakh: four dead and one wounded. What do they say in Baku?
Operation Fury in Karabakh
Four Armenian dead and one wounded from the Azerbaijan in a skirmich between the Azerbaijani Armed Forces and illegal armed groups in Karabakh. Azerbaijan stated that the army carried out Operation Rage after the wounding of its serviceman. The self-proclaimed regime in Khankendi (Stepanakert) claims a violation of the tripartite agreement. “Complete disarmament of illegal military groups is inevitable,” an Azeri military observer notes.
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On June 27, 2023, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan issued a statement stating that a soldier of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces was wounded in the Aghdam direction as a result of firing from illegal armed groups in the part of Karabakh, where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily stationed. The department added that retaliatory measures are being taken.
On the morning of June 28, the self-proclaimed regime in Khankendi reported four dead after shelling by the Azerbaijani army.
The antiterrorist operation carried out at night in Karabakh was called “Fury” in Baku.
“Complete disarmament of illegal military groups is inevitable”
“Despite the fact that Eid al-Adha is being celebrated in Azerbaijan, and negotiations are being held in Washington on a peace treaty mediated by the United States, illegal armed groups in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan undertook another provocation and fired at the positions of the Azerbaijani armed forces,” military observer Adalat Verdiyev said. .
According to him, the purpose of this provocation is “the desire to harm” the negotiation process in Washington.
“The existence of illegal armed groups in Karabakh is a serious source of danger. The complete disarmament of illegal military groups is inevitable. Azerbaijan will not allow the presence on its territory of formations that are a source of terror,” Verdiyev added.
The observer notes that the only way out for the Armenian military in Karabakh is to surrender their weapons, otherwise they will turn into “a legitimate target” for the Azerbaijani army:
“The Azerbaijani army has so far carried out various operations in Karabakh, as a result of which it has gained full control over the heights of Farrukh, Sarybaba, Gyrkhgyz, Buzdukh and others.
I have no doubt that these provocations are carried out at the instigation of the Russian peacekeeping contingent. After the Armenians fired at an Azerbaijani border guard near the checkpoint in Lachin, contacts between peacekeepers and Armenian militants in Karabakh became more intense. It is possible that it is the RMK that directs illegal bandit formations to work against the legitimate army of Azerbaijan.”
“Azerbaijan is obliged to start a military operation”
According to political scientist Gabil Huseynli, the Azerbaijani army should start a military operation from the Aghdere direction:
“Negotiations are underway in Washington. In them, Azerbaijan must firmly raise the issue of withdrawing the remnants of the Armenian armed groups from its territory.
In the meantime, the Azerbaijani army must work to ensure that the Armenian terrorists leave Agdere, Askeran and other settlements in Karabakh, where they still remain, to the last armed man. Otherwise there can be no peace treaty and stability in the region.
It is very abnormal that at the same time there were peace talks and armed groups resorted to provocations on the territory of our country.
I think that in order to integrate the Armenian population of Karabakh into Azerbaijani society, the first thing to do is to disarm illegal bandit formations. For this reason, Azerbaijan is obliged to start a military operation from the Aghdere direction and neutralize the Armenian militants,” Huseynli said.
“Russian peacekeepers will turn into ordinary observers”
“According to those who are aware of what is happening around Karabakh, the operation called Fury has not yet been completed. I think the interim results of the Washington talks will be decisive here,” political observer Gadzhi Namazov believes.
He stressed that one of the main conditions of Azerbaijan in the negotiation process is the immediate withdrawal of the Defense Army from Karabakh:
“No state can close its eyes to the fact that there are armed groups on its territory that are not subject to the central government. And even more so, subject to an illegal regime that considers the state its enemy. This is unequivocal, and not even subject to discussion.
Armenia has repeatedly stated that it is ready to recognize Karabakh as an integral part of Azerbaijan. Based on this, Khankendi loses its only support, and the self-proclaimed regime has no one to rely on. Today there is not a single more or less serious force in the world that recognizes the right to life for a self-proclaimed regime.
If the leadership of the illegal regime in Khankendi has enough prudence, everything can end peacefully, without any counter-terrorist operation. As I have noted more than once, the forces are too unequal, and Baku will not endure for a long time. And as we saw last night, if Azerbaijan launches a military operation against the Armenian gangs in Karabakh, Russian peacekeepers will play the role of ordinary observers.”
