The situation is extremely tense on the entire line of contact between the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and Azerbaijan. Karabakh troops continue successfully conducting defensive battles.
According to the Karabakh Defense Army reports, at least 30 Azeri special forces soldiers were killed in Talish direction alone, two tanks and two unmanned drones were destroyed in Martakert direction, and a helicopter was downed in the northern direction of the contact line.
Battles are especially fierce in the southeastern direction. Using armored equipment, including BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher, Azeris targeted not only Karabakh defense positions, but also civilian settlements, situated quite deep behind the frontline. Here, at around 12.30 pm, the Karabakh air defense units destroyed one Azerbaijani military helicopter and two more tanks.
The Nagorno Karabakh Defense Army estimates suggest that the Azerbaijani armed forces suffered more than 200 human losses on April 1-2.
On the night of April 1-2, Azerbaijani armed forces initiated overt offensive operations in the southern, southeastern and northeastern directions of the line of contact with Nagorno Karabakh, using artillery, armored fighting vehicles and air force equipment among other weapons.
Aside from the battles on the frontline, the rival has also carried out artillery strikes on civilian settlements and places of permanent deployment of several military units.
On April 2, at around 8:30 am, the rival used BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher in the Martuni direction of the contact line. 12-year-old Vaghinak Grigoryan was killed in the shelling, two more children were wounded.
Earleir, the Nagorno Karabakh special forces identified an Azerbaijani subversive group near the Levonarkh settlement and threw the saboterus back to their positions.
According to Armenia’s Defense Ministry, the rival troops retreated after suffering several human losses.
Video President of #Armenia Serzh Sargsyan convenes extraordenary meeting of National security council, pic.twitter.com/Rft9p4lqGS
— Wally Sarkeesian (@gagrulenet) April 2, 2016