Armenian side is ready for a counterstrike in case of any Azeri provocation, with frontline defenses to be boosted, Defense Minister said, commenting on a special operation by the Karabakh forces to retrieve the remains of Baku-downed helicopter crew.
According to Seyran Ohanyan, the special op was prompted by Baku’s refusal to allow retrieval of the bodies from the crash site, Armenian media reported.
Also, the Nagorno Karabakh defense army released footage with the details of the operation to recover the crewmembers’ bodies. As the head of the NKR general staff reminded in this context, Baku kept the crash site under permanent fire, with every attempt to retrieve the bodies though the mediation of the Red Cross and OSCE Minsk Group falling through.
Mi-24 helicopter of the Nagorno Karabakh army was shot during a training flight as result of ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani armed forces on Nov 12, at about 1pm local time. According to the NKR Defense Ministry, the attack took place not far from the line of contact.
The NKR State Commission on prisoners of war, hostages and the missing persons earlier appealed to the International Committee of Red Cross mission in the NKR with regards to the fate of the crewmembers, one of whom could possibly survive the crash. However, Azerbaijan continued to keep the site under fire.
Armed forces of the Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) Republic launched a special operation to discover the fate of the crew members of the helicopter.
“As a result of the operation, the body of one crew member, the remains of two pilots and some helicopter wreckage were recovered,” the NKR defense army reported.
“Azeri army lost 2 soldiers in an attempt to curb the operation, with no losses on the NKR side reported,” the statement said.
