Defense Minister Col-Gen Zakir Hasanov has said Armenian troops occupying Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region and adjacent districts were inflicted heavy losses in the outgoing year in retaliation for Azerbaijani deaths.
"We did have losses but our people should know that we revenged the deaths of our military servicemen ten to one,” Hasanov said in New Year greetings to army servicemen on the ministry website. "We will continue to do so.”
Eight Azerbaijani troops were confirmed killed in a single firefight east of Nagorno-Karabakh in early August when an Armenian sabotage group attacked an Azerbaijani army position. Several more died as fighting intensified following days.
At least 19 were confirmed killed on both sides in the worst escalation of tensions in 20 years.
Armenia captured nearly one-fifth of Azerbaijan’s internationally-recognized territory in a war after the Soviet breakup in 1991. While large-scale hostilities ended with a ceasefire in 1994, no peace agreement has been signed.
Hasanov said Azerbaijan’s army continued to grow in the past year as the country bought modern weapons.
‘We will not allow the enemy to feel comfort in our historical lands and will restore Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity,” he said.
ANN.Az
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