Today.Az » Politics » Armenia recruiting teenagers to fighting in occupied Karabakh
14 October 2020 [15:26] - Today.Az


By Trend


The Armenians, having lost a significant part of their manpower after two weeks of hostilities in Karabakh conflict, began to involve teenagers in military operations, Trend reports on Oct.14 citing Russian media outlets.

A video was published on Telegram, showing footage of what looked like a school military training session. The training was conducted under supervision of military servicemen, with presence of teenagers in civilian clothes.

It’s not the first time that Yerevan involves children in hostilities. Numerous facts concerning the application of such a practice during the first Karabakh war in the 1990s can be found on the Internet.

According to foreign intelligence services, several children's camps for Armenian terrorists have been set up in the highlands of Karabakh and Armenia, where teenagers undergo ‘psychological washing’ for their subsequent participation in the war.

Conscribing or recruiting underage persons and teenagers into national armed forces or using them to actively participate in armed conflicts is a war crime under international law.

This is not the first time Armenia is trying to involve underage persons, teenagers to military actions. In particular, the same tactic was used against Azerbaijan in the first Karabakh war in 1990s.

According to foreign intelligence services, several children's camps for Armenian terrorists have been set up in the highlands of Karabakh and Armenia, where teenagers undergo ‘psychological brain washing’ for their subsequent participation in military actions.

 

Armenian Armed Forces launched a large-scale military attack on positions of the Azerbaijani army on the front line, using large-caliber weapons, mortars, and artillery on Sept. 27.

Azerbaijan responded with a counter-offensive along the entire front. As a result of retaliation, Azerbaijani troops liberated a number of territories previously occupied by Armenia, as well as take important, strategic heights under control.

The fighting continued into October 2020, in the early days of which Armenia has launched missile attacks on Azerbaijani cities of Ganja, Mingachevir, Khizi as well as Absheron district.

Following almost two weeks of intensive military confrontations, Armenia and Azerbaijan, with Russia's mediation, have agreed on a temporary ceasefire for humanitarian purposes, for exchange of prisoners of war as well as bodies of the dead.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.