We Know How Many Bodies There Are, But Attempts to Retrieve Them Have Encountered Heavy Fire from Azerbaijani Forces, Says Deputy Chief of General Staff

The Armenian side knows where, as a result of the Azerbaijani provocation on September 13, how many bodies there are, but attempts to retrieve the bodies have encountered heavy fire from Azerbaijani forces. This was stated by Major General Arakel Martikyan, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia, during a meeting with foreign diplomats and journalists in Vardenis.

The deputy chief confirmed the alerts from the parents of missing servicemen regarding the presence of bodies of military personnel at one of the heights in Verin Shorzha, and that the Ministry of Defense has not yet retrieved the bodies. “We have only left those positions where our comrades have fallen. Today, we truly know how many bodies of our friends we have; this is our most painful place. The serviceman who gave their life for the homeland must be handed over to the ground with due honor. The Azerbaijani side promised a humanitarian ceasefire; the humanitarian ceasefire implies the retrieval of the injured and the deceased. Our attempts to retrieve the remains of our fallen comrades met with heavy fire from the opposing side and the statement that the Azerbaijani side would return the bodies of our servicemen,” said Martikyan.