Armenia ja Azerbaidzhan nekkailee taas

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Bakuun on vissiin tullut Ankaran kautta noin 1000 Hamza-divisioonan ääri-islamilaista palkkasoturia, joille maksetaan 600$ kuussa

Kaverillas varmaan oli lähdekin?

aktiivinen maanpuolustusfoorumilainen, ovat siellä seuranneet tätä jo tovin samalla lailla kuin piffolla Trumpin presidenttikautta, elikkäs varmaan joku twiitti, ei tietenkään vahvistettu mutta...

[Ingmar Bergmanin kuolema]

Äkkiseltään tulee mieleen, että Syyriassa kunnostautuneilla asemiehillä ei välttämättä ole paljonkaan tekoa konventionaalisessa sodankäynnissä tasaväkistä vastustajaa vastaan, mikä tilanne ilmeisesti on Karabahissa. Kansanmurhaamisessa ja muissa julmuuksissa rintamalinjojen takana sen sijaan...

[Ananaskääpiö]

Eiks noi nyt ole ollut Turkin proxy-armeijana eli ihan taistelutehtävissäkin?

[Pipo]

Tuntuu äkkiseltään vähän kummalliselta idealta tuottaa kasapäin palkkasoturiukkoja nimenomaan murhaushommiin esimerkiksi PR-syistä. Ottaen huomioon että armenialaiset ajoivat tuolta kymmeniä tuhansia azereita maanpakoon 90-luvulla, vois kuvitella että jos nyt kansanmurhaajatehtävissä toimijoita tarvitaan, niin nuoria vihaisia miehiä löytyisi omistakin riveistä.

[Ananaskääpiö]

Öljyrahoilla on tehty azereista pullomössöväkeä, kruisailevat tukka rasvattuna ja aseisiin tartutaan vain jos ne näyttää hyvältä instagrammissa.

[Pipo]

Öljyrahoilla on tehty azereista pullomössöväkeä, kruisailevat tukka rasvattuna ja aseisiin tartutaan vain jos ne näyttää hyvältä instagrammissa.

Näin sen kai sitten täytyy olla, kova raha lepytti kuuman kaukasialaisen veren.

[Ingmar Bergmanin kuolema]

Eiks noi nyt ole ollut Turkin proxy-armeijana eli ihan taistelutehtävissäkin?

On, mutta pointti oli konventionaalisessa sodankäynnissä, jossa hampaisiin asti aseistautunut, järjestäytynyt, erittäin motivoitunut ja suhteellisen moderni vastustaja ampuu tykeillä, raketeilla ja ohjuksilla kohti. Siitä ei Hamza-taistelijoilla taida olla kokemusta.

Ehkä porukka on ihan puhtaasti vaan uhrattava pelinappula, jolla Erdogan näyttää tukensa azereille ilman yhtäkään kaatunutta turkkilaista.

[Pipo]

Guardianin jutun perusteella vaikuttaisi enemmän ehkä tykinruokapalkkasoturibisneksiltä kuin varsinaiselta systemaattisen jihadistiarmeijan kasailulta. Sinänsä kyllä erikoinen ratkaisu azereilta ja turkkilaisilta ottaen huomioon miltä näyttää ulospäin. Onhan tuo tietty peliliike siinä mielessä että palkka ei ole paljon mitään, ukot osaavat todennäköisesti kuitenkin pitää kivääriä oikein päin kädessä ja jos kaatuvat niin menetys ei ole työnantajalle suuren suuri.

Syrian rebel fighters prepare to deploy to Azerbaijan in sign of Turkey’s ambition

Volunteers in Syria’s last rebel stronghold claim Turkish firm signing up fighters

Syrian rebel fighters have signed up to work for a private Turkish security company as border guards in Azerbaijan, several volunteers in Syria’s last rebel stronghold have said, at a time when the long-running conflict between Baku and neighbouring Armenia is showing dangerous signs of escalation.

The potential deployment is a sign of Turkey’s growing appetite for projecting power abroad, and opens a third theatre in its regional rivalry with Moscow. Ankara is already engaged in a volatile power struggle with Russia in the conflicts in Syria and Libya, and tensions could now spill over into Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Guardian spoke to three men living in the last rebel-controlled corner of Syria, who said that almost a decade of war and grinding poverty had made them keen to register with militia leaders and brokers who promised work with a private Turkish security company overseas. They expect to travel over the border to Turkey before being flown to Azerbaijan.

The arrival of foreign fighters would inject a new layer of complexity into the battle between Yerevan and Baku over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, an enclave legally considered to be part of Azerbaijan but which has been run by ethnic Armenians since it declared independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The area attracts western concern because it is a major oil and gas pipeline corridor.

Clashes in July that killed 17 people in a different border region, as well as fresh hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh in the last two days, which have left 15 dead so far, have led to concerns that the dormant conflict could once again be lurching into full-blown war.

Turkey has strong cultural and economic ties with Azerbaijan. Russia has been traditionally close to Armenia but has forged links with the Baku elites in recent years, and continues to sell arms to both sides.

While most of the international community, including Moscow, have called for de-escalation and a return to the diplomatic process in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said on Sunday that Baku had his country’s full support.

“The Turkish people stand with their Azeri brothers with all our means, as always,” he said on Twitter, going on to criticise other nations for “double standards and insufficient reaction” against what he characterised as Armenian attacks.

Observers have questioned why Baku’s highly-trained and well-armed military forces would be in need of assistance from Syrian mercenaries. Men in Syria’s rebel-held Idlib province, however, say that a recruitment drive began a month ago.

Two brothers living in Azaz, Muhammad and Mahmoud, who asked for their names to be changed because of the sensitivity of the issue, said they were summoned to a military camp in Afrin on 13 September.

On arrival they were told by a commander in the Turkish-backed Sultan Murad division that work was available guarding observation posts and oil and gas facilities in Azerbaijan on three or six month contracts at 7,000-10,000 Turkish lira (£700-£1,000) a month – significantly more than they could earn at home.

The commander did not give details on what the job would entail, how long the posting would be, or when they were expected to leave. The men are also not clear about the name of the Turkish security company, or who would be paying their wages.

“Our leader told us that we won’t be fighting, just assisting in guarding some areas,” Muhammad said. “Our salaries aren’t enough for living, so we see it a great opportunity to make money.”

“There are no jobs available,” his brother added. “I used to work as a tailor in Aleppo but since we were displaced to Azaz [after Aleppo fell to Assad in 2016], I’ve tried many times to practise my craft but my family and I can’t earn enough.”

The promised salaries are vast sums compared with the 450-550 Turkish lira a month Syrian rebels earn from Ankara in the fight against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

Ankara has supported the Syrian opposition since the early days of the war, even as the original Free Syrian Army umbrella group grew weak and splintered because of infighting and the growth of Islamist elements within rebel ranks.

Turkey also uses some rebel fighters as proxies against Kurdish-led forces despite allegations of human rights abuses from watchdogs.

Since December, Ankara has also facilitated the movement of thousands of Syrian rebels to Libya as mercenaries, where they have helped turn the tide of the civil war in favour of the UN-backed government fighting warlord Khalifa Haftar.

Omar from Idlib city, who also asked for his real name not to be used, was called to Afrin on 22 September along with 150 other men and was asked to prepare to leave, only to be told later the same day the deployment had been delayed until further notice. He said he had asked around for a broker’s number after hearing about the potential deployment, registering his name with a local agent on the understanding that Omar would pay him $200 (£156) of his first month’s wages.

“When we first started being offered work abroad in Libya, people were afraid to go there, but now there are definitely thousands of us who are willing to go to either Libya or Azerbaijan,” he said. “There is nothing for us here.”

As with the Azerbaijan proposition, some men who went to Libya have said they were also told they would be employed as guards, but found themselves caught up in frontline fighting instead. Many have also reported that commanders pocketed up to 20% of their salaries.

Elizabeth Tsurkov, a fellow at the Washington DC-based Center for Global Policy, said: “The international community regards the lives of Syrians as expendable, with Syria serving as an arena to settle geostrategic scores and advance the interests of countries intervening in the country at Syrians’ expense.

“Syrians resisted and still resist this logic, but the economic ruin stemming from the war and the recent depreciation of the Syrian currency mean that most Syrians are now struggling to feed themselves. Faced with few choices, many are now willing to sell themselves to the highest bidder.”

Several sources in the Syrian National Army (SNA), the main umbrella of Syrian rebel groups funded by Turkey, as well as the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, say that a first batch of 500 Syrian fighters from the SNA’s Sultan Murad and Al Hamza divisions has already arrived in Azerbaijan, including two senior commanders: Fahim Eissa, the leader of Sultan Murad, and Saif Abu Bakir of Al Hamza. The Guardian could not confirm the reports.

The rumours have been bolstered by several unverified videos circulated on social media that purport to show armed Syrian rebels travelling along an Azerbaijani road in the back of pick up trucks while chanting battle songs.

Both the Armenian government and Russian media have alleged that up to 4,000 Syrian men are already present in Nagorno-Karabakh, claims which have been denied by Baku as “nonsense”.

A Turkish defence ministry source said on Monday: “We strongly reject such claims. Our support consists of military advice and training of Azerbaijan’s armed forces … The Turkish ministry of defence does not deal with recruiting or transferring militiamen anywhere in the world.”

[Ananaskääpiö]

Ehkä porukka on ihan puhtaasti vaan uhrattava pelinappula, jolla Erdogan näyttää tukensa azereille ilman yhtäkään kaatunutta turkkilaista.

Eikä Turkilla välttämättä ole mitään haluja ylläpitää liittolaisinaan jihad/palkkasoturi/kilipää -armeijaa raja-alueillaan niin näppärähän noi on heittää jonnekin Etelä-Kaukasulle lihamyllyyn sopivassa välissä.

[Ingmar Bergmanin kuolema]

Ehkä porukka on ihan puhtaasti vaan uhrattava pelinappula, jolla Erdogan näyttää tukensa azereille ilman yhtäkään kaatunutta turkkilaista.

Eikä Turkilla välttämättä ole mitään haluja ylläpitää liittolaisinaan jihad/palkkasoturi/kilipää -armeijaa raja-alueillaan niin näppärähän noi on heittää jonnekin Etelä-Kaukasulle lihamyllyyn sopivassa välissä.

Enpä tiedä haittaako Erdogania islamistikilipäät, mutta Guardianin jutun perusteella tuonne lähtee tykinruoaksi kilipäiden ohella tai ehkä niiden sijaan tavallisia persaukisia ja näköalattomia nuoria miehiä. Iljettävä kuvio kertakaikkiaan.

[Ingmar Bergmanin kuolema]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54338454
...


What's the latest from the frontline?

On Tuesday both Armenia and Azerbaijan said that heavy fighting had continued overnight.

The self-proclaimed authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh said 87 of their military personnel had been killed and 120 wounded since the fighting began on Sunday, according to the Armenpress news agency.

They put the fatality figure on the Azerbaijani side at nearly 400, saying that one aircraft, four helicopters and a number of tanks had been destroyed.
media captionTanks ablaze as fighting erupts over disputed region

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan's defence ministry was quoted by news agencies as saying that Armenian troops had repeatedly tried and failed to regain lost positions in the Fuzuli-Jabrayil and Aghdere-Terter areas.

The ministry said that a column of Armenian armoured and other combat vehicles had been destroyed, adding that the enemy suffered heavy losses.
The casualty claims by Armenia and Azerbaijan have not been independently verified.

Where do other regional players stand?

On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on Armenia to immediately end its "occupation" of the region and withdraw, saying this was the only course of action that would secure peace.

Mr Erdogan's chief adviser, Ilnur Cevik, also said Turkey had told its Azeri allies to go as far as they wanted.
Armenia has accused Turkey of providing direct military support to help Azerbaijan gain control of territory - a claim denied by Azerbaijan.

On Sunday, Russia's foreign minister held urgent talks with his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts, calling for an immediate ceasefire.

Armenia is a member of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, and could officially ask the six-member bloc to help militarily. It has not done this so far.

Iran, another key regional player, has said it is closely monitoring all the latest developments, and called for a ceasefire.
...

Tuohan olisikin, jos Armenia päättäisi pyytää liittolaisensa avukseen. CSTO-liitolla on ainakin paperilla nopean toiminnan sotajengi, jossa on divisioonamitalla maahanlaskujoukkoja. Tuskin Jerevan pyytää apua ainakaan virallisesti, mutta olisi jännä nähdä Putinin reaktio asiaan.

[Ingmar Bergmanin kuolema]

Armenia väittää turkkilaisen F-16:n ampuneen alas armenialaisen koneen. Jos Turkki joutuu tarjoamaan tällaista suoraa tukea isolla riskillä, ei Azerbaidzhanin hyökkäys varmaankaan etene suunnitelmien mukaan. Eskalaation vaara kasvaa.

Armenia says its fighter jet 'shot down by Turkey'
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54345622

Armenia says one of its fighter jets was shot down by a Turkey jet, in a major escalation of a conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
The Armenian foreign ministry said the pilot of the Soviet-made SU-25 died after being hit by the Turkish F-16 in Armenian air space.

Turkey, which is backing Azerbaijan in the conflict, has denied the claim.

Nearly 100 people, including civilians, have died in three days of fighting over the disputed mountainous region.
The mountainous enclave is officially part of Azerbaijan, but has been run by ethnic Armenians since 1994.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated that its air force does not have F-16 fighter jets. However, Turkey does.

The fighting that started three days ago now appears to be spilling out of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenia and Azerbaijan - which have already mobilised more soldiers and declared martial law in some areas - blame each other for starting the fighting.
...

[Ingmar Bergmanin kuolema]

Keskiviikkona tapahtunutta: taistelut jatkuvat, Azerbaidzhanin presidentti vannoo ajavansa armenialaiset sotilaat maasta ja Ranska varoittaa Turkkia ryhtymästä sanoista tekoihin. BBC osaltaan vahvistaa tänne linkatun Guardian-jutun tietoja Turkin värväämistä vierastaistelijoista. BBC on saanut yhteyden Pohjois-Syyriasta viikko sitten värvättyyn taistelijaan, joka on viety Istanbulin kautta lentokoneella Azerbaidzhaniin ja leppoisan vartiointikohteen sijaan suoraan etulinjan lihamyllyyn ilman mitään koulutuksia. Karua ja äärimmäisen vastenmielistä.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54356334
...
BBC Arabic, meanwhile, has spoken to one man who was recruited in northern Syria "to guard military points" on Azerbaijan's borders for $2,000 (£1,550).

Abdullah - not his real name - said he was flown to Azerbaijan via Istanbul with other Syrian men. They received no training, but were sent to Nagorno-Karabakh "wearing Azerbaijani uniforms" when fighting broke out.

"The car stopped and we were surprised to find ourselves on the front line," he said. "Then the bombing began, people were crying in fear and wanted to go home."

President Erdogan's adviser Ilnur Cervik called the accusation "a kind of disinformation campaign".

"We are not recruiting anyone. Where is the proof that we're recruiting these people along with the Syrian opposition sending them Azerbaijan [sic]? This is completely false," he said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that about 320 Syrian mercenaries have been transported to Azerbaijan by Turkish security companies.

But they add that Armenian-born fighters in Syria have also been transported to Armenia to join the fight.
...

[Ingmar Bergmanin kuolema]

BBC:n mukaan neljässä päivässä on kuollut ainakin 200 ihmistä, joten siellä on päällä täysi sota.

E: Itänaapurin äänitorvi RT kertoo azerbaidzhanilaisten väitteestä, jonka mukaan hyökkäys on aiheuttanut tolkuttomat tappiot armenialaisille. Aika varmasti ihan höpöjuttuja, mutta esimerkki kunnon propagandapaisuttelusta.

Around 2,300 "enemy personnel" have been killed or wounded since fighting broke out on Sunday, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry reported. Officials added that an Armenian S-300 air defense missile system was destroyed at the frontline in Karabakh, along with around 130 tanks and more than 200 artillery pieces.

[Texas-Peten soosit]

Azerbaijan vetänyt eskalaation kunnolla tappiin ja yrittänyt pistää Jerevaniin ohjusta tai dronea, minkä Armenian ilmapuolustus ampui alas