Azerbaijan to hold major drills near Karabakh frontline![]() June 18, 2016 - 11:41 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Azerbaijan is to launch major military exercises near Nagorno Karabakh, defense ministry said Friday, June 1, according to the Global Post. “The operational-tactical exercises will be held on June 19-24 with all the arms and services," the Caucasus nation's defense ministry said in a statement. The drills will take place in "military ranges located in the (Karabakh) frontal zone, and in Nakhijevan, as well as the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea," the ministry said. They will involve "about 25,000 servicemen, more than 300 tanks and armored combat vehicles, more than 100 rocket artillery launchers, up to 40 military aircraft and more than 30 air defense systems, ships of naval forces and special forces units." Azerbaijani authorities report that they have already resettled 3,000 people in the Nagorno-Karabakh town of Stepanakert. On June 10, Azerbaijani President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev will leave for Turkey on a working visit. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. Partner news |