2020 October 12

Daily news and anti-corruption report

Oct/12/2020 wrap-up: \\ War in Karabakh (Artsakh) \\ Battles in north (Mrav), north-east (Talish), and south (Hadrut) \\ Erdogan's cozy relations with terrorist groups \\ jihadists exposed \\ Casualty report \\ Flashback 1990s: first Karabakh war \\ Ilham feels insulted \\ the international response
by ar_david_hh

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Prior events: October 11 , October 10, October 9 , October 8 , October 7, October 6, October 5, October 4, October 3, October 2, October 1, September 30, September 29, September 28, September 27.

Russian outlet analyses the terrorist recruitment and deployment operations in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Syria.

news-front.info article: in early September, Turkish police arrested one of ISIS leaders, Emir Mahmud Ozden, who allegedly tried to plot attacks on Turkish soil to pressure the government.

Emir used to be friendly with Turkish special forces in the early 2000s. In 2012 he joined ISIS and began organizing the transfer of jihadists to Syria from Northern Caucasus, Crimea, and Central Asia. Before moving to Syria, the jihadists would stop in Turkey and undergo training. It's unclear what had broken up the relationship between Emir and Turkish special forces in the 2000s.

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This July, there were two anti-terror raids in Izmir (Turkey), and Batumi (Georgia), which resulted in the arrest of 78 militants, 9 of whom were Turkish citizens, illegally residing in Georgia.

One of the arrested men in Georgia was Binal Jamgioz, the second in command of Turkish [ultra-nationalist terrorist] organization Grey Wolves (GW). He was engaged in money laundering, arms sales, and recruitment of ethnic Turkic Uyghurs in China for a separatist movement.

Back in 2014, Binal Jamgioz was recruiting militants in Azerbaijan and Georgia to fill the ranks of ISIS in Syria.

[About GW. Turkish special forces were using this group to suppress opposition, assassinate union activists, Kurdish activists, journalists, politicians. They are responsible for the death of thousands of Kurds.]

Binal Jamgioz reports to the leader of GW Devlet Bahcheli, and a billionaire and cash-machine of GW Ismail Chelebi. Chelebi resides in Georgia while remotely managing the GW financing in Turkey, Caucasus, and Central Asia.

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In April, Turkey's Erdogan pardoned another large GW donor and a known mafioso Alaattin Chakothi. A question arises: why did Erdogan make so many GW arrests in September if he's also friendly with some GW leaders? Erdogan might be trying to send a message that these radical groups must play exclusively by his rules.

Erdogan had instructed the members of ISIS, GW, Al Qaida, and few others to fight in Libya and Karabakh. The leaders of [ultra-nationalist] GW had refused to fight in Libya due to not seeing a benefit for the Turkic world. Meanwhile, leaders of other Islamic militant groups had refused to fight in Karabakh in support of secular-Shia Azerbaijan.

In the end, they were forced by Erdogan to agree to fight, in exchange for freedom.

The full article contains more info about Karabakh. The above translation is a fraction of it: https://news-front.info/2020/10/10/ustami-erdogana-london-i-vashington-dayut-signal-rossii-v-karabahe/

50 more jihadists are reported dead

Middle East reporter says 50 more Syrian militants were killed in Artsakh. Among them are Ibrahim Jum'a and Ahmed Lahalak from Rastan. The 50 bodies will arrive at the Hiwar Kilis crossing soon.

The source is a fighter with the Levant Front, a Turkish-backed group from Rastan. He personally knowns the two aforementioned militants.

Photos: https://twitter.com/Elizrael/status/1315699232699973632

Ilham Aliyev feels personally insulted by Russia

The overly self-conscious autocrat of Azerbaijan, who recently resorted to using camera filters to make his skin appear bronzed on TV, feels personally insulted by Russian media outlets for not being pro-Azerbaijan enough.

"I have always said that Russians are attracted to Azerbaijan not only by cuisine, beaches, history, but also by the fact that they feel comfortable, they feel in their environment. They talk to people in Russian. You probably know that nowhere there are so many schools in Russian as in Azerbaijan.

But you have already spent several days here and you know how the factor of the Armenian occupation influences the mood of the people. People catch every word, every gesture, every facial expression.

And, of course, I will tell you frankly: during these two weeks, when on some Russian channels we see rabid anti-Azerbaijani propaganda, falsification, manipulation, an unbalanced composition of talk show participants, when the Azerbaijani people are insulted, the president of Azerbaijan is insulted on the leading Russian channels - this, of course, does not add credibility to Russia," Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with RBC.

(Context: prominent Azeri reporter was fired from Russian media outlets for justifying the bombing of an Armenian church in Shushi. Russian prime-time TV shows are critical of Azerbaijan for bringing Turkey and jihadists into the conflict.)

https://web.archive.org/web/20201011210840/http://azeridaily.com/politics/58892

the ethnic minority oppression and their history of pushing for independence from Azerbaijan

CivilNet outlet: during the Karabakh pro-independence movement in 1988, when ethnic cleansings of Armenians were committed by Azeris, the ethnic Udis, who were predominantly Christian and very close to Armenian, even with their first names, were also forced to flee Azerbaijan. Most Udis moved to Russia but some had settled in Armenia's Noyemberyan region.

During the first Karabakh war, two minorities were "active" in Azerbaijan. Lezgins created the "Sadval" movement in 1990 to preserve their ethnic identity.

The second movement was by Talysh, led by Aylakram Gumbatov, who even managed to establish the Talysh Republic in the southern Lenkoran region, for a brief period.

Lezgins, who live in northern Azerbaijan, live on the Azeri and Russian sides of the border. Talysh, who live in the south, are divided between Iran and the Azerbaijani border.

There are no widespread attempts by ethnic Talysh and Lezgins to establish independence today. Aylakram Gumbatov, the leader of the self-proclaimed Talysh Republic in the 90s, was later arrested and sentenced to death but was subsequently pardoned and exiled.

"Artsakh could serve as a role model and allow these persecuted Azeri minorities to settle in Artsakh and have representation in Artsakh Parliament."

https://youtu.be/tmYU6nWA3Cw

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Interview with ethnic Talysh journalist Zabil Magerramov:

https://youtu.be/EzAQSLKWA3o

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March, 5, 2019: an interview with another Talysh activist Zakharaddin Ibrahimi.

https://youtu.be/Da6sP6KWiAY

a few more things from yesterday

Tens of thousands of Armenians gathered in Los Angeles in support of Artsakh. They marched to the Turkish consulate to condemn the aggression. They beamed the Artsakh flag on the Turkish consulate building.

https://twitter.com/geviskajyan/status/1315512371343839233?s=20

Beaming: https://t.me/reartsakheng/482

Video: https://youtu.be/2C6QjiXqo6M

Video: https://www.facebook.com/ABC7/videos/707456450121067/

Videos: https://news.am/arm/news/607455.html

Photos: https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/j9jych/la_was_all_armenian_today/

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NY Post Editorial Board: Erdogan’s proxy war in Armenia in an ugly echo of Turkey’s genocidal campaign century ago.

On Sept. 27, Azerbaijan resumed its conflict with Armenia, accusing it of unprovoked attacks. At issue is the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, a mountainous territory of 150,000 people (mostly ethnic Armenians) that is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but claimed and governed by Armenia since an earlier war.

The Azeris are plainly the aggressors: They not only outnumber the Armenians 3-to-1, they’ve been modernizing their military with a huge assist from the Turks.

Full: https://nypost.com/2020/10/11/erdogans-proxy-war-in-armenia-is-an-echo-of-turkeys-genocidal-campaign/

October 12th arrives / the battlefield / international response

8:31 MoD: the front lines were relatively stable-tense last night. Azeris are shelling the southern front right now.

https://twitter.com/ShStepanyan/status/1315510964578590726?s=20

9:02 Artsakh army: the northern, north-eastern, and southern fronts were active. All the Azeri attack attempts were repelled. They sustained heavy human and equipment losses. Their ongoing artillery fires are being suppressed with appropriate measures.

https://t.me/infocomm/23021

10:32 army: the operation to locate and destroy the Hadrut infiltrators continues. Azeris accumulated large backup forces with an attempt to enter the city. There are fierce battles.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1031307.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1031309.html

11:28: Artavazd Knyazyan, an Armenian-Spanish businessman, has posthumously received the title of Artsakh Hero.

https://factor.am/294320.html

11:39 army spokesman: I have repeatedly referred to the fact that it is not so appropriate to indicate clear positions, landscapes, even settlements at this stage of the war. The war is fierce, the Armenian army is fighting hard against the Turkish-Azerbaijani forces, which is several times larger and is fully supported by the Turkish air force, other intelligence systems, a large number of mercenaries, terrorists, and private military organizations. The Armenian army is resisting these forces with great success, with such success that even international experts mention it.

According to the tactical-operative necessity, the defense army carries out both retreat and change of lines, as well as attack and counterattack. Trust our army, we will win.

https://factor.am/294327.html

12:30: soldiers released a video from the front lines.

https://youtu.be/fx2cj1aXwhA

12:58 army: the losses from the Azeri side: 4919 soldiers (one Lt. Colonel today), 4 TOS (Solntzepyok?), 514 tanks and armored vehicles, 17 aircrafts, 16 helicopters, 168 drones, etc.

https://factor.am/294389.html , https://t.me/infoteka24/8698

13:26: army released footage showing the destruction of another Azeri AN-2 drone.

https://youtu.be/eP95wv5DdD0

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1031324.html

13:38: Azeri media reports that the Azeri govt is accumulating more riot gear and water trucks to disperse possible demonstrations. "Some residents aren't happy that the govt keeps the data about casualties secret."

The war resulted in large migration from bordering cities Ganja, Terter, Barda, Gerambo towards Baku. Azeri Telegram channels earlier shared a video showing large vehicle traffic near a Baku suburb called Kherdalan. The police blocked the road to prevent them from reaching Baku.

Azeri Twitter began sharing a hashtag that demands answers from Aliyev.

https://youtu.be/LOGVjlPnSzw

https://factor.am/294412.html

14:23: Artsakh president Arayik met the veterans of the first Karabakh war. "In this dire state, we must all stand up as one."

https://news.am/arm/news/607506.html

CivilNet recalls the first Karabakh war in 1990 to draw comparisons: today, the heaviest battles are in southern borders between Horadiz and Jabrayil; it's about a 15km section. This isn't new. In the 90s, when Azeris attacked, that's where their Operation Ring was carried out. It was around Hadrut.

In the winter of 1994 when Azeris made their last push, we lost a lot of lands there, then recaptured some of it. The line of contact stopped between the Armenian and Azeri towns of Horadiz (both similarly named). Those 5 months were Aliyev's last push. Armenians suffered 2,000 deaths and Azeris 5,000.

The situation was also dire in 1992 when Abulfaz Elchibey won the elections and started a new war. Azeris captured Martakert and Shahumyan in a few weeks. They captured 40% of Karabakh. That's what I call "dire".

Another dire situation was in 1991 and Karabakh leader Leonard Ter-Petrosyan went to Baku to negotiate with Azeri president Mutallibov.

Another dire one was in 1992 when the Lachin corridor with Armenia was about to be blocked. At the time, Azeris controlled the northern Qarvachar region and were pushing south to cut off Artsakh from Armenia. Only a few kilometers were left from the Lachin corridor.

How did Armenians change the course? It was the Armenian political unity, cold-heartedness, lack of panicking, good governance, problems within Azerbaijan.

Ceasefires have been broken before. On April 10, 1992, while the Russian delegation was there for negotiations, the Azeri army entered Maragha village and massacred dozens of civilians. The war isn't easy to stop; it's expected that today's ceasefire is hard to achieve.

More: https://youtu.be/X75N4yEp7Kk

14:37: European Parliament MP Jaromir Stetina has called for the official recognition of the Artsakh Republic. "What is happening now is dictator Aliyev's policy towards small Artsakh. In order for all this to stop, the international community, and first of all European Union, must recognize Artsakh as an independent state."

https://armlur.am/1050860/

https://infoteka24.ru/2020/10/12/72262/

14:52: Russian MFA says it's important to follow the ceasefire agreement reached in Moscow.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1031334.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1031336.html.

15:22 army: we shot down an Azeri Su-25 jet in the north. The Turkish F-16 jets continue to accompany and aid the Azeri jets.

Hours later: at first Azeris denied losing Su-25, then their front line administration confirmed it, without realizing that we had already confirmed it.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1031340.html , https://news.am/arm/news/607558.html

15:25: Los Angeles Lakers player Danny Green expressed solidarity with Armenians, saying "they want peace but are under attack now". Lakers won their 17th NBA champion title yesterday and tied it with Boston.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1031342.html

15:27: British journalist Dominic Lowson wrote an article for The Sunday Times, in which he criticized Boris Johnson for his silence over Turkish aggression.

He reminded that Johnson's great grandfather was a Turkish man named Ali Kemal who was murdered in Turkey and had an Armenian name written on his body for his support for Armenians and the condemnation of the Armenian genocide.

The article notes that Artsakh has already voted to be independent from Azerbaijan.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1031338.html.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/turkeys-game-is-lethal-as-johnson-well-knows-5zz5v57kx

15:47: the Armenian side reaffirms commitment to the humanitarian ceasefire if Azeris do the same.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1031347.html

16:25: Armenian MFA met his Russian colleague and spoke about Azerbaijan's involvement of jihadists, "which poses a threat to the whole region."

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1031353.html

15:07: PM Pashinyan held a meeting with non-parliamentary and opposition parties (HHK, ARF, etc.) to discuss various topics about independence recognition, security, possible official military agreement with Artsakh, etc.

The ambassador to several states entered the government building after the meeting. Pashinyan urged the ambassadors to recognize Artsakh republic during the meeting, "which will help end the humanitarian crisis."

Ruling party MP says that Armenia should recognize the Artsakh Republic only after another state does.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1031359.html , https://factor.am/294472.html , https://factor.am/294469.html , https://factor.am/294458.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1031390.html

15:10: Armenians have intercepted a radio communication of Azeri Syrian jihadists near southern borders. Some segments are presented, about how they discuss miserable conditions, mistreatment by Azeri commanders, snipers shooting some Azeris in the back in case of surrender, them being told to be careful not to shoot at the Iran border, etc.

Video: https://youtu.be/ivh80u7pPy8

https://factor.am/294475.html

https://youtu.be/53KtWWZhY4U

15:17: Galina Simova, the community leader of the 1,500 ethnic Russian community of Artsakh, has asked Vladimir Putin to take steps to stop the bombardment of civilian settlements and to "fight the Syrian militants in Karabakh just as Russia fights them in Syria because they are a direct threat to Russia, too."

Full: https://news.am/arm/news/607521.html

16:51 Armenian MFA: we agree to the installation of a ceasefire verification mechanism across the border, but Azerbaijan refuses.

https://news.am/arm/news/607545.html

16:59: the Russian reporter Yuri Kotenok, who was targeted by Azeri drone and severely wounded while inside a church in Shushi, is still in Armenia. Doctors advised against airlifting him to Russia for now. He is feeling better after the surgery.

https://news.am/arm/news/607547.html

17:14: Armenians held a demonstration in Luxemburg near the EU building.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1031358.html

17:17: video showing the destruction if a few more Azeri drones.

https://youtu.be/SlUdHlwEGrY

17:24: the European Parliament has received the report written by Artsakh Human Rights Ombudsman about Azerbaijan's crimes against Artsakh civilians in Sep-Oct.

https://factor.am/294575.html

17:30 U.S. Congressman Tony Cardenas: We must immediately end security assistance to Azerbaijan and Secretary Pompeo must make it clear to Turkey that it cannot continue to fan the flames of violence. The U.S. leadership cannot be silent while the people of Nagorno-Karabakh suffer.

https://twitter.com/RepCardenas/status/1315401322368294912?s=20

https://news.am/arm/news/607557.html

17:38: Chief conductor of the Berlin Symphony Orchestra Lior Shambadal expressed solidarity with Armenians. "I am proud of the Armenian spirit as you defend your beautiful country and wonderful culture."

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1031364.html

17:59: the list of the names of deceased soldiers has been updated since yesterday, to 525 confirmed.

https://news.am/arm/news/607596.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1031369.html

18:07: yesterday, several Israeli scientists wrote an open letter to their govt, asking to stop the weapon sales to Azerbaijan. Israel Charny, the executive director of the Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide in Jerusalem, believes most Israelis support Armenia.

He called Erdogan a murderer who oppresses Kurds in Syria and has set his eye on Jerusalem. "President Reuven Rivlin supports the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, but as a president, he has fewer powers than when he was the speaker of the Parliament."

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1031371.html

18:08: the govt of Azerbaijan has launched a criminal case against the Russian WarGonzo journalist Semyon Pegov, who has been actively documenting the Azeri war crimes against civilian settlements in Artsakh.

Pegov is charged with "illegal entry to Azerbaijan" (Azeris consider Artsakh their territory) and "making calls against the Azerbaijani state."

In other news, Russian authorities are investigating a Russia-based Azeri propagandist Saadat Guliyev. The latter publicly stated that he wishes for the aforementioned Russian reporter Semyon Pegov to die [from an Azeri bombardment] in Artsakh. "Armenian citizens should not shield the military reporter," he added.

After that statement, prominent Russian TV hosts became furious and called for Russian authorities to launch a felony case against Saadat Guliyev, including for inciting ethnic hatred, which is a sensitive topic in Russia due to its ethnic diversity. The authorities are investigating and will decide whether to charge Guliyev.

https://ria.ru/20201012/zhurnalist-1579403698.html

https://factor.am/294592.html

https://news.am/arm/news/607534.html

18:34: footage showing the aftermath of Armenian troops capturing possibly one of the hills near the northern Mrav mountains. Date unclear.

Graphic: https://twitter.com/301_AD/status/1315662201286426625?s=20

https://t.me/infoteka24/8739

18:03 army spokesman: Azeri media outlets have claimed that their artillery shells "caused heavy damage on Armenian soldiers who were retreating towards Red Bazaar in the south".

The Azeri propaganda machine, as usual, distorts the reality, trying to prove at all costs that they control Hadrut. It's a naked statement by Aliyev.

The operation to blockade and destroy the Hadrut infiltrators continues. The operative situation is under the full control of our army.

https://www.facebook.com/arcrun/posts/3429257187109865

19:13 Artsakh official: the heavy battles continue near Hadrut and in the south. Our army responds proportionately.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1031375.html , https://t.me/reartsakheng/496

19:19: the Conservative party of Estonia, part of the ruling coalition, has urged Turkey to "stop sending the jihadists to Karabakh front."

"We are concerned about the large-scale military aggression unleashed by the Republic of Azerbaijan against the Republic of Armenia and the Artsakh Republic on September 27. We call on the Azerbaijani authorities to immediately stop the bombing of civilian infrastructure."

https://infocom.am/Article/38678

19:24: MoD of Russia and Turkey discussed the situation in Syria, Libya, and Artsakh.

https://news.am/arm/news/607584.html

19:33 Armenian MFA: Turkey, being unable to achieve its goal, is actively preventing the establishment of the humanitarian ceasefire signed in Moscow. The army of Azerbaijan, being under the control of Turkey, continues the military actions and the attack on civilian settlements.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1031377.html

19:35: watch out for fake GoFundMe pages.

https://factor.am/294649.html

20:11: Armenian hackers stole $20,000 from a bank account that collects funds for the Azeri army, used it all on purchasing sex toys from Amazon, and wrote the Azerbaijani Government building address as the shipping address.

https://t.me/reartsakheng/505 [link 404]

20:46: Turkish internet regulators have blocked several Armenian government websites in Turkey.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1031388.html

20:57: the Armenian delegation to PACE has presented Azerbaijan's war crimes against Artsakh civilians and urged PACE member-states to recognize the independence of Artsakh.

https://news.am/arm/news/607598.html

21:21: Belgian-Armenian musician Sevak Avanesyan gave a performance in Shushi's St. Ghazanchetsots church that was earlier bombed by Azerbaijan twice.

https://youtu.be/0ejPlScu_uU

https://t.me/infocomm/23088

21:32 Ombudsman: 31 civilians have died in Artsakh since the beginning of the war.

https://t.me/infocomm/23089

22:00 army spokesman's briefing: Azeris refused to follow the ceasefire. Since its beginning, they launched an attack in 3-4 directions. A heavy weapon was used near Martakert. In this recent period, Azeris lost 1 jet, 3 drones, and 200 soldiers.

Turkish air force helped the Azeris to conduct 36 flights, during which we downed an Azeri Su-25 jet near north-western Qarvachar (near Mrav mountain). This region is less intense than the south.

Throughout the day, battles continued in the south. We stopped their advancement and pushed them back near Hadrut. The city is under our control.

Azeris refuse to accept the ceasefire to exchange bodies because that would mean the introduction of international mediators (Red Cross), which they don't like.

The north-eastern village of Talish is not "under Azeri control". Their forces are stationed on the Talish outskirts. The regrouping activities made by us in this northern section allowed them to publish videos from Talish. Once again, the positions can change quickly and I ask you again not to fixate on a specific location during a large war.

Hadrut is completely under our control. There were, and maybe still are, certain Azeri groups on the outskirts.

The drone attacks are still with the same intensify but the artillery is weaker now.

We will win.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=2857021897850761

the donations continue

Ajarabet betting firm donated 50mln Drams To All Armenia Fund. Another 400mln from IRS's savings fund.

https://news.am/arm/news/607575.html , https://news.am/arm/news/607580.html

Kylie Jenner has joined the social media campaign to raise awareness and urged donations to himnadram.org

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1031331.html

Russian-Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetyan (Tashir) has donated another $3m.

https://t.me/reartsakheng/491

The Armenia Fund has received $100m in donations so far.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1031320.html

A video from a volunteer group's office showing the humanitarian aid collected by ordinary people

https://youtu.be/ykmeUN1ZIHw

in other news

The Constitutional Court judge Arman Dilanyan has been elected by fellow judges as their new president. The previous nominee, Edgar Ghazaryan, had failed to secure 5 votes.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1031363.html

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You've read 3388 words.

U.S. tax-deductible donations: www.ArmeniaFund.org

Global donations: www.HimnaDram.org

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Link to original report and comments: https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/j9xsry/oct122020_wrapup_war_in_karabakh_artsakh_battles/

Disclaimer: All the accused are innocent until proven guilty by the court of law, even if they may sound as being guilty. Currency in Armenian Drams ֏ unless specified otherwise. Helpful overview of Armenia's media ownership and leanings.