2010 Mardakert skirmish
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Mardakert skirmishes were a series of violations of the Nagorno-Karabakh War
ceasefire. They took place across the line of contact dividing Azerbaijan
and the ethnic Armenian
military forces of the unrecognized but de facto
independent Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
. Both sides accused the other of violating the ceasefire regime. These were the worst violations of the cease fire (which has been in place since 1994) in two years and left Armenian forces with the heaviest casualties since the Mardakert skirmishes
of March 2008.
, located in the province of Mardakert/Tartar in Nagorno-Karabakh on June 18–19. According to the Defense Ministry of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Armenian forces along the line of contact came under surprise attack by a 20-man Azerbajani reconnaissance or sabotage unit at about 11:30 PM on June 18. The Azeri forces killed four Armenian soldiers and an Azerbaijani warrant officer were killed, and four Armenians were wounded, one critically. According to the NKR Defense Ministry, the body of Azerbaijani Warrant Officer Mubariz Ibrahimov
was left on the Armenian side of the contact line, as the rest of his unit retreated. Armenian forces retaliated the next day by launching an attack near Fizuli
on June 19–20, killing one Azerbaijani serviceman. Azerbaijani forces claimed to have repelled the attack and inflicted further casualties on the Armenians.
President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan called the skirmish an "Azeri provocation," which took place hours after he had met his counterpart, Ilham Aliyev
for peace talks regarding the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Officials in Azerbaijan dismissed the Armenians' claim. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said it was the Armenians who had fired at its forces using automatic rifles and machine guns. Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elkhan Polukhov stated that the skirmish was a "direct consequence of Armenia's failure to withdraw from occupied Azerbaijani territory."
Shortly after the incident, on July 22, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
conferred ensign
Ibrahimov with the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan for his services to the state while resisting attacks of Armenian forces. Azerbaijani sources have since claimed that Ibrahimov was single-handedly responsible for killing all four of the Armenian soldiers and wounding the five others. They have speculated that his actions were voluntary and the result of personal a desire to take vengeance against the enemy.
confirmed that the attack was initiated by the Azerbaijani side, stating "There was an Azerbaijani move across the line of contact, Armenia responded, resulting in deaths."
The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group
condemned the skirmish and stated that it was "an unacceptable violation of the 1994 Cease-Fire Agreement and...contrary to the stated commitment of the sides to refrain from the use of force or the threat of the use of force." The use of military force at this juncture "can only be seen as an attempt to damage the peace process."
On October 6, 2010, a Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly resolution sponsored and signed primarily by the parliamentary members of Azerbaijan and Turkey accused Armenian forces of violating the June 18 ceasefire and alleged that it had launched an assault against Azerbaijan settlements.
's visit to Azerbaijan, another skirmish took place near Jraberd
, Mardakert/Tartar Rayon. Azerbaijan announced that two Azeris and three Armenians were killed, while Armenia claimed to have killed 4-7 Azeris at the cost of one wounded. One of the Azeris killed was Farid Ahmadov whose body, according to Azerbaijan, remained on the Armenian side of the frontlines. Both sides blamed the other for starting the attack. The Baku office of the International Red Cross appealed to the Armenian side requesting assistance in returning the bodies of both Ibrahimov and Ahmadov. The PACE resolution issued on October 6 also urged the Armenian side to return the bodies of both soldiers.
The military authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh handed over the bodies of Ibrahimov and Ahmadov to Azerbaijan on November 6, 2010.
Nagorno-Karabakh War
The Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in the small enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in southwestern Azerbaijan, between the majority ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh backed by the Republic of Armenia, and the Republic of Azerbaijan...
ceasefire. They took place across the line of contact dividing Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
and the ethnic Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
military forces of the unrecognized but de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
independent Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic , or Artsakh Republic is a de facto independent republic located in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia...
. Both sides accused the other of violating the ceasefire regime. These were the worst violations of the cease fire (which has been in place since 1994) in two years and left Armenian forces with the heaviest casualties since the Mardakert skirmishes
2008 Mardakert skirmishes
The 2008 Mardakert skirmishes began on March 4 after the 2008 Armenian election protests. It involved the heaviest fighting between ethnic Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh since the 1994 ceasefire after the Nagorno-Karabakh War.Armenian sources accused...
of March 2008.
June skirmish
The skirmish occurred near the village of ChayliÇayli, Tartar
Çaylı is a village in the Tartar Rayon of Azerbaijan. The village is on the cease-fire line between the armed forces of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and those of Azerbaijan...
, located in the province of Mardakert/Tartar in Nagorno-Karabakh on June 18–19. According to the Defense Ministry of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Armenian forces along the line of contact came under surprise attack by a 20-man Azerbajani reconnaissance or sabotage unit at about 11:30 PM on June 18. The Azeri forces killed four Armenian soldiers and an Azerbaijani warrant officer were killed, and four Armenians were wounded, one critically. According to the NKR Defense Ministry, the body of Azerbaijani Warrant Officer Mubariz Ibrahimov
Mubariz Ibrahimov
Mubariz Aghakerim oglu Ibrahimov was an Azerbaijani Warrant Officer and National Hero of Azerbaijan.-Early years:...
was left on the Armenian side of the contact line, as the rest of his unit retreated. Armenian forces retaliated the next day by launching an attack near Fizuli
Fizuli
Fizuli is a rayon of Azerbaijan. It was named after the Turkic poet Fuzûlî. Its capital is the town of Fizuli. The western half, including capital Fizuli, has been controlled by the breakway Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, as part of its Hadrut Province, since the Nagorno-Karabakh War...
on June 19–20, killing one Azerbaijani serviceman. Azerbaijani forces claimed to have repelled the attack and inflicted further casualties on the Armenians.
Military analysis
Richard Giragosian, the director of the Armenian Center for National and International Studies and a former defense analyst for Jane's, described the intrusion as "either a test on Armenian response or a sign of lack of command and discipline in the Azerbaijani military." He described it as "more professional and more deadly than previous such incursions" and had been planned days in advance. The fact that the attack began with an Azerbaijani sniper inflicting a fatal head wound on an Armenian soldier was further evidence of this, he said.
Armenia
President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan called the skirmish an "Azeri provocation," which took place hours after he had met his counterpart, Ilham AliyevIlham Aliyev
Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev is the President of Azerbaijan since 2003. He also functions as the Chairman of the New Azerbaijan Party and the head of the National Olympic Committee...
for peace talks regarding the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Azerbaijan
Officials in Azerbaijan dismissed the Armenians' claim. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said it was the Armenians who had fired at its forces using automatic rifles and machine guns. Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elkhan Polukhov stated that the skirmish was a "direct consequence of Armenia's failure to withdraw from occupied Azerbaijani territory."Shortly after the incident, on July 22, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
Ilham Aliyev
Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev is the President of Azerbaijan since 2003. He also functions as the Chairman of the New Azerbaijan Party and the head of the National Olympic Committee...
conferred ensign
Ensign
An ensign is a national flag when used at sea, in vexillology, or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office in heraldry...
Ibrahimov with the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan for his services to the state while resisting attacks of Armenian forces. Azerbaijani sources have since claimed that Ibrahimov was single-handedly responsible for killing all four of the Armenian soldiers and wounding the five others. They have speculated that his actions were voluntary and the result of personal a desire to take vengeance against the enemy.
Reaction in the world
In his confirmation hearings as the United States' ambassador to Azerbaijan in July 2010, Matthew BryzaMatthew Bryza
Matthew James Bryza is a United States diplomat. Currently serves as the United States Ambassador to Azerbaijan.-Education:...
confirmed that the attack was initiated by the Azerbaijani side, stating "There was an Azerbaijani move across the line of contact, Armenia responded, resulting in deaths."
The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group
OSCE Minsk Group
The OSCE Minsk Group was created in 1992 by the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe to encourage a peaceful, negotiated resolution to the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.-Founding and members:The Helsinki Additional Meeting of the CSCE Council on 24 March...
condemned the skirmish and stated that it was "an unacceptable violation of the 1994 Cease-Fire Agreement and...contrary to the stated commitment of the sides to refrain from the use of force or the threat of the use of force." The use of military force at this juncture "can only be seen as an attempt to damage the peace process."
On October 6, 2010, a Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly resolution sponsored and signed primarily by the parliamentary members of Azerbaijan and Turkey accused Armenian forces of violating the June 18 ceasefire and alleged that it had launched an assault against Azerbaijan settlements.
September skirmish
On September 1, 2010, on the eve of Dmitry MedvedevDmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
's visit to Azerbaijan, another skirmish took place near Jraberd
Jraberd
Jraberd is a village in the Tartar Rayon of Azerbaijan. The village is on the cease-fire line between the armed forces of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and those of Azerbaijan. There have been allegations of cease fire violations in the village's vicinity....
, Mardakert/Tartar Rayon. Azerbaijan announced that two Azeris and three Armenians were killed, while Armenia claimed to have killed 4-7 Azeris at the cost of one wounded. One of the Azeris killed was Farid Ahmadov whose body, according to Azerbaijan, remained on the Armenian side of the frontlines. Both sides blamed the other for starting the attack. The Baku office of the International Red Cross appealed to the Armenian side requesting assistance in returning the bodies of both Ibrahimov and Ahmadov. The PACE resolution issued on October 6 also urged the Armenian side to return the bodies of both soldiers.
The military authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh handed over the bodies of Ibrahimov and Ahmadov to Azerbaijan on November 6, 2010.