Territories occupied in four years cannot be liberated within 40 days - Society has to show patience (Trend)

“In recent days, social network users in Azerbaijan cannot get enough of the joy of the news about the liberation of our occupied territories. They already want to hear news not about liberated villages, but about liberated cities and towns. These people do not understand that the fighting Azerbaijani soldiers and officers, to liberate cities and regions, need to liberate villages, and to liberate villages, they need to oust the enemy from the heights,” said military expert Adalat Verdiyev.

According to the military expert, after the Horadiz operation in early 1994, that is, over the past 26 years, our armed forces achieved success in the villages of Jojug Marjanli, Talish and Leletepe heights in 2016, in the village of Gunnut, Gizil Gaya, in the direction of Hunut heights in 2018, as well as towards Mount Babaker in 2019.

“We celebrated the territories liberated at that time as a real victory. The key factor in the war is a moral and psychological advantage. In this regard, it was important in the current clashes to dispel the myth of the invincibility of the Armenian army, that the Azerbaijani soldiers and managed to do it in a short time. However, some of us, who for one reason or another have never participated in the war, wait every day for our soldiers to liberate new cities and regions,” he added.

Verdiyev briefly recalled some of the features of the offensive operations carried out by the Azerbaijani Army in the mountains:

1. To liberate a city and district, it is important to liberate several villages, and to liberate a village, it is important to liberate heights. The heights are liberated step by step. As our troops advance, the number of liberated heights also increases.

2. Lack of road infrastructure in mountainous areas, the inevitability of using no alternative roads, as well as the likelihood of them being mined by the retreating enemy, the destruction of bridges over mountain rivers by the invaders, the limited capacity of existing roads, steep descents, ascents and passes, the likelihood of ambushes and other factors affect the speed advance of troops.

3. Climatic conditions resist the advancing Azerbaijani soldier no less than the enemy. The amount of precipitation in the mountains is approximately twice as much as in the plains. The temperature difference between day and night is about 20 degrees, changeable weather and strong winds are observed. There is also a high risk of lightning strikes in the mountains. Keeping a direction, fighting, staying alive and completing assigned tasks in an unfamiliar mountainous area in foggy conditions is not as easy as writing comments behind a monitor demanding the liberation of districts and cities.

4. You should also take into account the steep mountain slopes in Nagorno-Karabakh at an altitude of over 2000 meters, a decrease in temperature by 0.6 degrees, atmospheric pressure by 10 millimeters of mercury, oxygen density by 1.2 percent every 100 meters, an increase in solar radiation by 1 -2 percent, ultraviolet radiation by 5-10 percent, and a decrease in blood oxygen levels. At an altitude of over 3000 meters, a person loses appetite, hearing is impaired, and vision weakens. At an altitude of 5000 meters, a person can freeze at a temperature of +6 degrees.

5. Everyone knows that the enemy uses prohibited white phosphorous bombs. Surely not everyone can understand what it means to move in gas masks in mountainous areas, where you can’t breathe anyway.

6. Also, in mountainous areas, sometimes you have to continue moving after preliminary belaying with ropes.

7. Low oxygen levels also negatively affect the operation of equipment engines. At altitudes above 2000 meters, engine power can be reduced by 30 percent, and steep slopes and mountain passes should also be taken into account.

8. Mountainous terrain also creates special problems for the use of radio engineering and radar systems due to problems with topographical reference and the reduction in the number of stable zones of activity.

9. Rocky areas absorb and scatter most radio waves, and high levels of atmospheric interference make the situation worse. Due to the fact that mountain slopes create interference (screening) for low-frequency systems, there is a need to install additional radio relays and relay points. In general, the deployment of any unit and military equipment takes 1.5 - 2 times longer than under normal conditions.

“The list goes on. I can say with confidence that this is only a part of the problems visible to us and a small one at that. Our units create big problems for the retreating enemy. But that's another topic. My purpose in listing these problems is not to highlight the difficulties facing our Armed Forces. We remember that exercises were regularly held in mountainous areas. I just wanted to draw your attention to the conditions in which our military personnel achieved success,” Verdiev said.

He emphasized that territories occupied in four years, where fortification work had been carried out for 24 years, cannot be liberated within 40 days.

“It should also be taken into account that today Azerbaijan is conducting a counter-offensive operation to liberate the occupied territories. The Armenian side is suffering colossal losses. This shows that Azerbaijani units are operating according to plan. Let’s not forget that our soldiers have repeatedly given us tears of joy. Our army, already having liberated about 200 villages, three towns and four districts from occupation. Despite growing international pressure, Azerbaijan continues to liberate its territories,” the military expert added.