Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Nagorno-Karabakh enclave holds military exercises

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Nagorno-Karabakh enclave holds military exercises

    Associated Press Worldstream
    August 3, 2004 Tuesday 4:30 PM Eastern Time

    Nagorno-Karabakh enclave holds military exercises

    YEREVAN, Armenia


    Forces in Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh enclave on Tuesday began an
    annual military exercise designed to test their combat-readiness, a
    military official said. The exercise came amid concerns that war
    could erupt again in the region a decade after a cease-fire.

    A spokesman for the military in the mostly ethnic Armenian enclave,
    which has been de facto independent since Azerbaijan's forces were
    driven out in 1994, said live ammunition would be used in the 10-day
    exercise involving regular troops and reservists. He said it was also
    aimed at improving coordination in "defensive battles and
    counterattacks."

    Nagorno-Karabakh is under control of an internationally unrecognized
    ethnic Armenian government, and its forces also hold several sectors
    of Azerbaijan outside of Nagorno-Karabakh itself. Sporadic firing
    takes place across the demilitarized zone that separates the forces.

    With no settlement in sight 10 years after a cease-fire ended a war
    that killed some 30,000 people and drove about a million from their
    homes, there are fears a new armed conflict could erupt. Azerbaijani
    President Ilham Aliev has expressed frustration with the stagnation
    and has raised the prospects of military action.
Working...
X