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Re: Nagorno-Karabagh: Military Balance Between Armenia & Azerbaijan
It's true , if a herder can make it over the border then azeri militair can make it too !
How can he cross the border ? Or is he an spion ?
Karabakh Conflict: What Happens When an Aliyev Wanders into Armenia
Last week, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said his country would respond with an all-out military attack should Azerbaijan attempt to reclaim by force the predominantly ethnic Armenian breakaway region of Nagorno Karabakh. Sargsyan cited recent war games as proof of Armenia’s capabilities, but the drills did not envision a scenario of invasion by cowherd and cows.
To hear some media tell it, Armenia experienced a wanton breach of its national border on November 12 after an Azerbaijani cowherd and his squadron of cows supposedly stormed across the line of contact for the Karabakh conflict, and into Armenia.
Herdsman Telman Aliyev, who shares a last name with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, is now being questioned by Armenian military officials. As one Armenian news outlet put it, "Azerbaijan now has one fewer Aliyev . . ."
The whereabouts of his charges are unknown; if in captivity, they're no doubt maintaining a stoic silence.
But work is underway to bring back Aliyev the herder, according to Azerbaijan’s State Commission for War Prisoners, Hostages and Missing Citizens Secretary Shahin Sailov, who argues that Armenia has "taken [him] hostage."
Baku quickly alerted international organizations about the incident, and cited a search for greener pastures amidst heavy fog and what they describe as Aliyev's difficulties with speaking and hearing as mitigating circumstances.
Yet, after 23-plus years of conflict, don't expect Armenia to take Azerbaijan's word for it. Armenian military officials said they are testing Aliyev's speech skills and hearing.
While the storyline may sound like something out of a British TV satire, tensions between the two longtime adversaries have been running at renewed heights for some time, making any fresh difference -- even over a lost cowhand -- potential cause for concern.
As one Azerbaijani military expert put it to the Russian-language newspaper Ekho, if a herder can make it over the border, "then, in the same way, Armenian intelligence could penetrate into our territory and take our soldiers captive." Armenia likely thinks the same for its own border.
Don't be surprised if both sides keep an eye peeled for "covert" cows from hereon out.
Last week, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said his country would respond with an all-out military attack should Azerbaijan attempt to reclaim by force the predominantly ethnic Armenian breakaway region of Nagorno Karabakh. Sargsyan cited recent war games as proof of Armenia’s capabilities, but the drills did not envision a scenario of invasion by cowherd and cows.
To hear some media tell it, Armenia experienced a wanton breach of its national border on November 12 after an Azerbaijani cowherd and his squadron of cows supposedly stormed across the line of contact for the Karabakh conflict, and into Armenia.
Herdsman Telman Aliyev, who shares a last name with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, is now being questioned by Armenian military officials. As one Armenian news outlet put it, "Azerbaijan now has one fewer Aliyev . . ."
The whereabouts of his charges are unknown; if in captivity, they're no doubt maintaining a stoic silence.
But work is underway to bring back Aliyev the herder, according to Azerbaijan’s State Commission for War Prisoners, Hostages and Missing Citizens Secretary Shahin Sailov, who argues that Armenia has "taken [him] hostage."
Baku quickly alerted international organizations about the incident, and cited a search for greener pastures amidst heavy fog and what they describe as Aliyev's difficulties with speaking and hearing as mitigating circumstances.
Yet, after 23-plus years of conflict, don't expect Armenia to take Azerbaijan's word for it. Armenian military officials said they are testing Aliyev's speech skills and hearing.
While the storyline may sound like something out of a British TV satire, tensions between the two longtime adversaries have been running at renewed heights for some time, making any fresh difference -- even over a lost cowhand -- potential cause for concern.
As one Azerbaijani military expert put it to the Russian-language newspaper Ekho, if a herder can make it over the border, "then, in the same way, Armenian intelligence could penetrate into our territory and take our soldiers captive." Armenia likely thinks the same for its own border.
Don't be surprised if both sides keep an eye peeled for "covert" cows from hereon out.
How can he cross the border ? Or is he an spion ?
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