Armenian defense chief calls for "preemptive actions" against Azerbaijan

"We must fight against [Azerbaijani] sabotage and reconnaissance actions, carry out training exercises for enhancing the combat readiness of all army detachments, punish the enemy during its sabotage and reconnaissance actions and, in some cases, attack without waiting for the enemy to act first,” he told senior military officials at a meeting in Yerevan on Monday, according to RFE/RL.

Ohanian said that troops deployed along Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan and the more militarized "line of contact” around Nagorno-Karabakh must be constantly prepared for "punitive” or "preventive” measures. To that end, he said, the commanders of army battalions and even companies must now be allowed to take such action on their own.

"I am calling on everyone to give the commanders that freedom,” he added.

Armenia captured nearly one-fifth of Azerbaijan’s internationally-recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions, in a war after the Soviet breakup in 1991.

Although major hostilities ended with a ceasefire in 1994, no peace agreement has been signed.

At least 19 soldiers were killed in August when skirmishes in and around Nagorno-Karabakh turned the deadliest in 20 years. 

Azerbaijan in November shot down an Armenian helicopter gunship that was flying near Azerbaijani army positions in Agdam District.