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2008 Mardakert clashes

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2008 Mardakert Skirmishes
Part of the Nagorno-Karabakh War
DateMarch 4, 2008
Location
Mardakert, Nagorno-Karabakh.
Result Both sides claim victory
Territorial
changes		 None
Belligerents
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Azerbaijan Azerbaijan
Commanders and leaders
Movses Hakobyan Nejmeddin Sadygov
Strength
? ?, Armored vehicles
Casualties and losses

Dead:[1]
0 (Armenian claim)
12 (Azerbaijani claim)

Wounded:
2 (Armenian claim)[1]

15 (Azerbaijani claim)[2][3]

Dead:[1][2][3]
4 (Azerbaijani claim)
8 (Armenian claim)

Wounded:
2 civilians (Azerbaijani claim)[4]

7 (Armenian claim)[5]

The 2008 Mardakert Skirmishes began on March 4, 2008 after the 2008 Armenian election protests. It was the worst fighting between the pro-Armenian[1] and Azerbaijani forces[6] over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh[6][7], since the 1994 ceasefire after the Nagorno-Karabakh War.

The Armenian side blamed Azerbaijan for trying to take advantage of unrest in Armenia. The Azerbaijani side blamed Armenia claiming that Armenian government is trying to divert attention from internal tensions in Armenia. At the same time, Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev has also insisted on a number of occasions that his country is ready to re-take the region by force, and has been buying the military hardware and ammunition to do so.[8][7][6].

Background

Nagorno-Karabakh War

The Nagorno-Karabakh War refers to the armed conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in the small ethnic enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh Template:Fn (a de-facto independent republic officially part of Azerbaijan), between the predominantly ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh backed by the Republic of Armenia against the Republic of Azerbaijan. As the war progressed, Armenia and Azerbaijan, both former Soviet Republics, became enveloped in a protracted, undeclared war in the mountainous heights of Karabakh as Azerbaijan attempted to curb a secessionist movement in Nagorno-Karabakh. The enclave's parliament had voted in favor of uniting itself with Armenia and a referendum was held with the vast majority of the Karabakh population voting in favor of independence. The demand to unify with Armenia, which proliferated in the late 1980s, began in a relatively peaceful manner; however, in the following months, as the Soviet Union's disintegration neared, it gradually grew into an increasingly violent conflict between the two ethnic groups, resulting in claims of ethnic cleansing by all sides.[9][10]

The war was the most destructive ethnic conflict in both terms of lives and property that emerged after the Soviet Union collapsed in December 1991.[11] Inter ethnic fighting between the two broke out shortly after the parliament of Nagorno-Karabakh, an autonomous oblast in Azerbaijan, voted to unify the region with Armenia on February 20, 1988. The declaration of seceding from Azerbaijan was the final result of a "long-standing resentment in the Armenian community of Nagorno Karabakh against serious limitations of its cultural and religious freedom by central Soviet and Azerbaijani authorities,"[12] but more importantly, as a territorial conflict regarding the land.[13]

Along with the secessionist movements in the Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the succeeding movement characterized and played a large role in bringing the downfall of the Soviet Union. As Azerbaijan declared its independence from the Soviet Union and removed the powers held by the enclave's government, the Armenian majority voted to secede from Azerbaijan, and in the process proclaimed the enclave the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.[14]

Full-scale fighting erupted in the late winter of 1992. International mediation by several groups including Europe's OSCE failed to bring an end resolution that both sides could work with. In the spring of 1993, Armenian forces captured regions outside the enclave itself, threatening the involvement of other countries in the region. By the end of the war in 1994, the Armenians were in full control of not only the enclave but also held and currently control approximately 9% of Azerbaijan's territory outside the enclave.[15] As many as 230,000 Armenians from Azerbaijan and 800,000 Azeris from Armenia and Karabakh have been displaced as a result of the conflict[16]. A Russian-brokered cease fire was signed in May of 1994 and peace talks, mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group, have been held ever since by Armenia and Azerbaijan.

2008 Armenian Election Protests

Prelude

On March 4, 2008 President Aliev withdrew his 33 strong Azeri peacekeeping force from newly-declare independent Kosovo that had been serving under NATO command since 1999. He cited his disaproval with Kosovo's independence and said that an independent Kosovo was emboldening ethnic Armenians Nagorno-Karabakh. He also said that his country was ready to take back breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh by force if need be and was buying military equipment and arms in preparation. "We have been buying military machinery, airplanes and ammunition to be ready to liberate the occupied territories, and we are ready to do this," [17]

Active Stage

According to the Armenian side, Azerbaijani forces attacked Armenian positions near the village of Levonark in the Mardakert Region of north-eastern Nagorno-Karabakh early March 4, 2008. They then briefly seized positions held by Nagorno-Karabakh Armenian forces, which were later taken back. Armenian side also claims that 8 Azeri servicemen were killed and 2 Armenian ones were wounded[17], and that Azeris fled leaving armament on the battlefield[18]. Armenian president Robert Kocharian also claimed that Azeri troops used heavy artillery in fighting[19].

According to the Azerbaijani side, Armenian forces attacked the positions of Azerbaijani army in Terter district of Azerbaijan. In a resulting military confrontation, 4 Azeri servicemen and 12 Armenian servicemen were killed[2][3], leaving heavy armor and wounded soldiers on the battlefield[20].

Armenian side, with reference to Armenian Ministry of Defense[21], rejected Azerbaijani claim about 12 Armenian casualties[22]. Meanwhile, the press service of Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense insisted that the claim by Armenian president about 8 casualties on Azeri side is false, because it would be impossible to hide the deaths of four more servicemen in presence of media and public in Azerbaijan[23].

Aftermath

Azerbaijani side announced the names of 4 killed servicemen[2][3]:

  • Tusayev, Nemat Habibulla oglu, born in 1988, recruited by Zagatala region enlistment office in 2007
  • Gasimov Yusif Oruj oglu, born in 1988, recruited by Sheki region enlistment office in 2007
  • Ismayilov, Bahruz Arzu oglu, born in 1988, recruited by Sheki enlistment office in 2006
  • Safarov, Jeyhun Bahaddin oglu, born in 1978, recruited by Khatai enlistment office in 1996

The last serviceman was killed not in combat but during the firing from Armenian positions near Gyzyl Oba village of Terter district on the night of March 5, 2008[2][3]. One serviceman was announced as wounded:

  • Aljanov Rovshan Khazar oglu, born in 1998 and recruited by the Gobustan region enlistment office in 2006

References

Template:Fnb The region's names in various languages tend to have the same approximate meaning. The name first originated in Georgian and Persian sources in the 13th and 14th centuries. Both in Armenian and Azerbaijani, the name of the region translates to "mountainous Karabakh [black garden]". Armenians also commonly refer to it as Artsakh, an allusion to the tenth province of the ancient Kingdom of Armenia; the name is often seen shortened to simply Karabakh in news sources and books. Other languages such as Russian and French refer to the region, respectively, as Nagorny Karabakh and Haut-Karabakh (Upper Karabakh).

  1. ^ a b c d "Karabakh casualty toll disputed". BBC News. 2008-03-05. Retrieved 2008-03-05. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e "12 Armenian soldiers killed, 15 wounded in clash". Day.Az. 2008-03-04. Retrieved 2008-03-07. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ a b c d e Template:Ru icon "Азербайджанская армия уничтожила 12 армянских солдат и ранила 15, потеряв 4 военнослужащих". Day.Az. 2008-03-04. Retrieved 2008-03-07. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ Shootout continues on Armenia-Azerbaijan contact-line since morning, death toll rises Azeri Press Agency, March 4, 2008
  5. ^ Azeri media reports far from reality as usual, RA MFA says PanArmenia.net, March 5, 2008
  6. ^ a b c "Fatal Armenian-Azeri border clash". BBC News. 2008-03-05. Retrieved 2008-03-05. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  7. ^ a b "Armenia/Azerbaijan: Deadly Fighting Erupts In Nagorno-Karabakh". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 2008-03-04. Retrieved 2008-03-05. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  8. ^ Armenian and Azerbaijani Forces Clash The Guardian, AIDA SULTANOVA, March 4, 2008
  9. ^ Rieff, David (June 1997). "Without Rules or Pity". Foreign Affairs v76, n2 1997. Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 2007-02-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Lieberman, Benjamin (2006). Terrible Fate: Ethnic Cleansing in the Making of Modern Europe. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee. pp. 284–292. ISBN 1-5666-3646-9.
  11. ^ The casualties of the war are conflicting and exact numbers are unknown due to the fact that exact body counts were never properly ascertained by either side or by international organizations. In the initial years of combat, casualties were reported to be much lower than what was later asserted after the war ended. Most sources however place the figures near 25–35,000. Time Magazine, for example lists the number as at least 35,000 people on both sides [1]. The US State Department [2] and NPR [3] put the numbers slightly lower at around 30,000. There have been subsequent casualties which resulted from the tripping of land mines, often by civilians. Numerous cease fire violations on the borders also result in the deaths of several soldiers each year. Other ethnic conflicts with comparative casualties included the First Chechen War and the civil war in Georgia.
  12. ^ Duursma, Jorri C. (1996). Fragmentation and the International Relations of Micro-states: Self-determination and Statehood. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 93. ISBN 0-5215-6360-7.
  13. ^ Croissant, Michael P. (1998). The Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict: Causes and Implications. London: Praeger. ISBN 0-275-96241-5.
  14. ^ It should be noted that at the time of the dissolution of the USSR, the United States government recognized as legitimate the pre-Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact 1933 borders of the country (the Franklin D. Roosevelt government established diplomatic relations with the Kremlin at the end of that year. Because of this, the George H. Bush administration openly supported the secession of the Baltic SSRs, but regarded the questions related to the independence and territorial conflicts of Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and the rest of the Transcaucasus as internal Soviet affairs.
  15. ^ Using numbers provided by journalist Thomas de Waal for the area of each rayon as well as the area of the Nagorno Karabakh Oblast and the total area of Azerbaijan are (in square kilometres): 1,936, Kelbajar; 1,835, Lachin; 802, Kubatly; 1,050, Jebrail; 707, Zangelan; 842, Aghdam; 462, Fizuli; 75, exclaves; totaling 7,709km² or 8.9%: de Waal. Black Garden, p. 286.
  16. ^ The Central Intelligence Agency. "The CIA World Factbook: Transnational Issues in Country Profile of Azerbaijan". Retrieved 2007-03-07. over 800,000 mostly ethnic Azerbaijanis were driven from the occupied lands and Armenia; about 230,000 ethnic Armenians were driven from their homes in Azerbaijan into Armenia
  17. ^ a b Azerbaijan may use force in Karabakh after Kosovo reuters, March 4, 2008
  18. ^ DURING ATTACK AZERI PARTY LOST 8 SERVICEMEN defacto.am March 5, 2008
  19. ^ "Robert Kocharyan: "Azerbaijani army used artillery"". Day.Az. 2008-03-05. Retrieved 2008-03-07. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  20. ^ "Shootout continues on Armenia-Azerbaijan contact-line since morning, death toll rises". AzeriPress Agency (APA). 2008-03-04. Retrieved 2008-03-07. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  21. ^ "RA DM: "Azeri adventure spoiled"". Panorama.am. 2008-03-06. Retrieved 2008-03-07. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  22. ^ "Armenian Defense Ministry rebuts information about death of 12 Armenian soldiers". Day.Az. 2008-03-05. Retrieved 2008-03-07. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  23. ^ Template:Ru icon "Министерство обороны Азербайджана: «Наша страна не такая большая по своей территории, чтобы скрыть от людей какую-либо информацию»". Day.Az. 2008-03-07. Retrieved 2008-03-07. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)


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