18:01, 2 October 2020

Russia, France, and US report transfer of militants from Syria to Karabakh conflict zone

Shell fragment. Photo by Aziz Karimov for the Caucasian Knot

300 militants from Syria were sent to Baku to participate in the hostilities, the President of France states. According to the intelligence data reported by the US Department of State, mercenaries were transported to the region with the help of aviation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the Russian Federation called for the withdrawal from the Karabakh conflict zone of militants who arrived from Syria and Libya.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that combat actions have been going on in the Karabakh conflict zone since September 27. The martial law is in force in Armenia, Nagorno-Kabakh and Azerbaijan.

For more news on the Karabakh conflict escalation, see: 'Karabakh: a Good War Or a Bad Peace' section.

Today, French President Emmanuel Macron has reported about the transportation to Baku of 300 militants from Syria through the Turkish city of Gaziantep. "The militants have been identified. They are members of a jihadist grouping operating in the area of Aleppo," reported Emmanuel Macron as quoted by the RIA "Novosti". According to the French President, another grouping of militants is being prepared to also take part in the hostilities in the Karabakh conflict zone.

Based on the intelligence data, the US Department of State also confirmed the report about the transportation of hundreds of mercenaries from Syria through Turkey to Azerbaijan, the "Voennoye Obozrenie" (Military Review) reported on October 1. "The transfer of militants to Azerbaijan was carried out mainly with the help of aviation ... Dozens of flights have been made from Turkish airports," the edition reports.

On September 30, the Russian MFA announced the transfer of militants from Syria and Libya for direct participation in the hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. Meanwhile, the Russian MFA did not mention the countries involved in the incident.

"We call on the authorities of the states concerned to take effective measures to prevent the use of foreign terrorists and mercenaries in the conflict and their immediate withdrawal from the region," the Russian MFA states on its official website.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 2, 2020 at 11:59 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.