The Azerbaijani Armed Forces advanced in the direction of Jermuk along a front of ca. 8 km wide and 7.5 km deep. On September 16, Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces Eduard Asryan announced this at a meeting in Jermuk with representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Armenia.
As reported by Armenpress, Eduard Asryan said that currently the Azerbaijani Armed Forces are located 4.5 km from Jermuk. Meanwhile before the start of the hostilities, Azerbaijani positions were 11-12 kilometers from the city.
“In the remaining 5 directions, the adversary’s success is far less in depth compared with their advances in the direction of Jermuk. In the direction of the villages of Nerkin Hand and Shorzha, the enemy penetrated 1-1.5 km deep and in the direction of Ishkhanasar 0.5 km. In other areas, we managed to push the enemy back,” Asryan said.
According to him, the invasion was carried out by small separate detachments. “Some of them are under the direct control of our units, while some are encircled,” said the Chief of the General Staff.
Asryan also said the Azerbaijani troops committed war crimes in all directions of the offensive, violating norms of international humanitarian law. In particular, he spoke about the inhuman treatment and torture of a servicewoman of the Armenian Armed Forces by Azerbaijani soldiers.
“I fail to find words to describe it, this is an extreme level of brutality,” Asryan said. The representative of the General Staff warned that the available footage of war crimes could be shocking. Nevertheless, the diplomats insisted on sharing the relevant video materials.
Eduard Asryan assured that the Armed Forces would continue to implement everything possible to ensure the country's security.
It is to note that representatives of diplomatic missions accredited in Armenia travelled to the city of Jermuk, which was under shelling during the recent Azerbaijani aggression. The purpose of the visit was familiarization with the damage caused to civilian infrastructure. The delegation of diplomats included the ambassadors of Great Britain, the USA, France, the EU, China, the Netherlands, Argentina, as well as the chargé d'affaires of Georgia, as well as representatives and military attachés of embassies of other foreign states.
