Pentagon official: Reports of Turkey to Azerbaijan militant movements are verified

PanARMENIAN.Net - A Pentagon official who spoke to Sky News Arabia on condition of anonymity, has said that reports and information about dozens of trips between Turkey and Azerbaijan in the past days to transport hundreds of Syrian mercenaries are "verified and correct".

The official described the flare-up in Karabakh a "small war with major repercussions," with wide security challenges for NATO countries, regional security and international energy markets.

On the other hand, U.S. government sources have told Sky News Arabia that members of the Congress may draft proposals in the coming days to hold Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accountable for his policies towards the conflict, and that the possibility of imposing sanctions on Ankara may not be excluded.

Azerbaijan launched a major offensive against Karabakh (Artsakh) in the morning of September 27, shelling Armenian positions and civilian settlements with large caliber weapons and rocket systems. Armenia and Karabakh have introduced martial law and total mobilization. The Armenian side has reported deaths and injuries both among the civilian population and the military. On September 29, the Azerbaijani army began shelling positions and civilian settlements in Armenia, which resulted in civilian casualty. On October 1, a group of local and international journalists came under Azerbaijan's shelling of civilian settlements. Some of them have sustained injuries, civilian casualty was reported.