Azerbaijani defense minister hears reports on progress of military exercises (PHOTO/VIDEO)

Commanders of types of troops, commanders of army corps and relevant officials have reported on the progress of the exercises to the Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, who leads the Large-Scale Operational-Tactical Exercises, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

After hearing reports on decisions made in regard to the organization of activities during the conduct of combined-arms operations, relevant tasks on troops control were assigned.

Large-scale operational-tactical exercises with the involvement of various types and branches of troops, Army Corps and military formations, under the leadership of the minister of defense, in accordance with the plan approved by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev, started on Sept. 16.

The exercises provide for the development of issues of organizing and conducting a counter-offensive operation in the mountains by delivering preventive strikes to defeat enemy groups and taking possession of advantageous frontiers in the liberated territories.

The exercises involve up to 10,000 military personnel, more than 100 tanks and armored vehicles, 120 missiles and artillery systems of various caliber, multiple launch rocket systems, and mortars, up to 20 army and frontline aviation, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles for various purposes.

In the course of the exercises to be held in challenging conditions, mountain-woody and rocky terrain, as well as electronic environment, the tasks of organizing the coordination of the actions of the foremost and bypassing units in interoperability with the main attack forces, as well as with artillery, aviation and other elements of the battle formation are to be fulfilled.

The main attention is paid to improving the troops' control skills, as well as to the issues of combat, moral-psychological and logistic support.

All actions take place at various training ranges, training centers with the combat shooting stages in conditions close to real ones.

The exercises will be held until Sept. 20.