- Worst day of fighting reported on Tuesday
- Artsakh Armed Forces pushed back enemy insurgents
- 31 civilians killed since Sept. 27, 106 injured, Artsakh authorities announced
Artsakh President Arayik Harutunyan on Tuesday announced that he had ordered the mobilization the republic’s volunteer armed units to join the fight in defense of the homeland. He signed a measure ratified by the country’s parliament earlier in the day.
Harutyunyan announced the he had visited the Artsakh’s Askeran district to discuss with local leaders the involvement of Artsakh volunteer reserve units to fight alongside Artsakh Armed Foces.
The head of Askeran’s administrative district told the president that the people of Artsakh understand the responsibility and will work to call volunteer units into action.
“Modeled on Askeran, local volunteer militia units are being called across the country,” explained Harutyunyan.
“In coming days, the Defense Army will be replenished with the wealth of experience and professional military knowledge of our citizens, whose participation, I am sure, will significantly contribute to the combat effectiveness of our troops on the battlefield,” added the president.
Meanwhile, Armenia’s Defense Ministry representative Artsrtun Hovhannisyan announced that fiercest battles of the current war took place on Tuesday, ensuring, however, that Artsakh forces were able to push back insurgent attacks by Azerbaijani forces, causing heavy losses.
Despite a ceasefire that went into effect at noon local time on Saturday, Azerbaijani forces continue to violate the agreement, and on Tuesday alone have accelerated their attacks on three to four directions.
Hovhannisyan reported that after heavily bombing of Artsakh positions, the enemy launched a large-scale offensive using armored vehicles. The northern front was the most active, according to the military representative.
Hovhannisyan explained that the Azerbaijani forces had adopted a new tactic in their military operations. He explained that the enemy forces carry out rapid attacks on areas near the Artsakh border and quickly place flags on buildings and take photos to post on social media, giving the impression to their followers that they have taken over territory in Artsakh.
He explained that this effort appeases the Azerbaijani base, but it also is aimed at demoralizing the local Artsakh residents.
“The people of Artsakh are fully determined to defend the security of their homeland and their people, as well as to hold the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan accountable for its war crimes and for turning our region into a hotbed of international terrorism,” said an announcement by the Artsakh Armed Forces.
The office of Artsakh’s Human Rights Defender has issued a second interim report on the Azerbaijani atrocities against Artsakh’s population, amending its findings to cover the period from the onset of attacks on Sept. 27 to October 12.
According to the report, as of Monday, 31 civilians had been killed—a young girl, seven women, and 23 men.
The report detailed that 18 people were killed in their yards (including the child and five women); three people died at work; 10 people were killed in public places of different settlements (central square, residential district, etc.).
The breakdown of death per region follows:
Stepanakert—10
Martuni—6
Hadrut—6
Martakert—3
Alashan village—1
Zaglig village—1
Mets Shen village area—1
Aygestan village in Askeran—2
Tigrankert—1
The report also says that 106 civilians have been injured, 86 of whom seriously.
Since September 27, the Azerbaijani armed forces have targeted more than 120 civilian areas in Artsakh, according to the report. As a result, numerous buildings, public and private property have been damaged.
