Azerbaijan celebrates Armed Forces Day: 96 years have passed since the formation of the first army units of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan in 1918.

Today the country has the largest army in the South Caucasus region. It has increased military spending by almost 30 times in the past decade to $3.7 billion this year, buying modern weapons from Israel, Russia and Turkey.

Azerbaijan has also developed its own defense industry.

The army has yet to fulfill its No 1 task: liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding Azerbaijani districts from Armenian occupation.

Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov, in an interview with state news agency Azartac this week, said the Azerbaijani army is capable of destroying any target inside Armenia.