Second Libyan Civil War (since 2020)
107-633: Second Nagorno-Karabakh War Islamist insurgency in the Sahel The Sultan Murad Division ( Arabic : فرقة السلطان مراد ; Firqat al-Sultan Murad ; Turkish : Sultan Murat Tümeni ) is an armed rebel group in the Syrian Civil War , created around a Syrian Turkmen identity. It is aligned with the Syrian opposition and are heavily supported by Turkey , who provides funding and military training along with artillery and aerial support. It
214-888: A Turkish-led offensive against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). In early November 2019, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights , the Homs al-Adiyyeh Brigade of the Sultan Murad Division defected to Jaysh al-Izza after the unilateral release of several Syrian Army prisoners of war by the Turkish government in the context of the Second Northern Syria Buffer Zone . According to Turkish sources and an activist in Afrin,
321-526: A ceasefire agreement was signed, ending all hostilities in the area from 10 November 2020. The agreement resulted in a major shift regarding the control of the territories in Nagorno-Karabakh and the areas surrounding it. Approximately 2,000 Russian soldiers were deployed as peacekeeping forces along the Lachin corridor connecting Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, with a mandate of at least five years. Following
428-622: A March 2017 statement of the Spokesman for the International Coalition forces, U.S. Colonel John Dorrian, 75 percent of the SDF forces fighting in Operation Wrath of Euphrates to isolate ISIL's de facto capital of Raqqa were Syrian Arabs, a reflection of the demographic composition of that area. "The Syrian Democratic Forces are a multi-ethnic and multi-sectarian organization, and that is one of
535-781: A civilian population.. In September 2020, the United Nations Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic reported on human rights abuses by Syrian National Army fighters in NW Syria. Among these were "Division 24 (the Sultan Murad Brigade), repeatedly perpetrated the war crime of pillage in both
642-661: A humanitarian ceasefire after ten hours of talks in Moscow (the Moscow Statement) and announced that both would enter "substantive" talks. After the declared ceasefire, the President of Artsakh admitted Azerbaijan had been able to achieve some success, moving the front deep into Artsakh territory; the Armenian Prime Minister announced that Armenian forces had conducted a "partial retreat". The ceasefire quickly broke down and
749-629: A military position on the front lines and the placement of reserve forces, after which the position would be shelled along with roads and bridges that could potentially be used by the reserves to reach the position. After the Armenian/Artsakh position had been extensively shelled and cut off from reinforcement, the Azerbaijanis would move in superior forces to overwhelm it. This tactic was repeatedly used to gradually overrun Armenian and Artsakh positions. Azerbaijani troops managed to make limited gains in
856-460: A month and began to enact disciplinary measures against commanders of the units that had involved in corruption and accepting recruit under age of 18 to their ranks. In October 2015 the YPG demobilized 21 minors from the military service in its ranks. In response to reports issued by international organisations such as Human Rights Watch, the general command of the SDF issued a military order prohibiting
963-606: A partial mobilisation in Azerbaijan. On 8 October 2020, Azerbaijan recalled its ambassador to Greece for consultations, following allegations of Armenians from Greece arriving in Nagorno-Karabakh to fight against Azerbaijan. Three days later, the Azerbaijani State Security Service (SSS) warned against a potential Armenian-backed terror attack. On 17 October 2020, the Azerbaijani MoFA stated that member of
1070-422: A ransom of 1,000 Turkish liras . Second Nagorno-Karabakh War Per Azerbaijan: Per SOHR : Per Armenia/Artsakh: 1994 ceasefire 2020 ceasefire 2023 ceasefire The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict in 2020 that took place in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding occupied territories . It was a major escalation of an unresolved conflict over
1177-551: A report published by the United Nations ' Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic on 10 March 2017, the Commission refuted Amnesty International's reports of ethnic cleansing, stating that "'though allegations of 'ethnic cleansing' continued to be received during the period under review, the Commission found no evidence to substantiate reports that YPG or SDF forces ever targeted Arab communities on
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#17328521886331284-515: A result of the Armenian artillery shelling, with several large hangars of the plant becoming completely burned down. An Armenian-backed Nagorno-Karabakh human rights ombudsman report noted 5,800 private properties and 520 private vehicles destroyed, with damage to 960 items of civilian infrastructure, and industrial and public and objects. On 16 November 2020, the Prosecutor General's Office of
1391-637: A series of pogroms between 1988 and 1990 against Armenians in Sumgait , Ganja and Baku , and against Azerbaijanis in Gugark and Stepanakert . Following the revocation of Nagorno-Karabakh's autonomous status , an independence referendum was held in the region on 10 December 1991. The referendum was boycotted by the Azerbaijani population, which then constituted around 22.8% of the region's population; 99.8% of participants voted in favour. In early 1992, following
1498-636: A two-day conference, the Syrian Democratic Council was established. Human rights activist Haytham Manna and Ilham Ehmed were elected co-chairman/woman at its founding. The Assembly establishing the Syrian Democratic Council was made up of 13 members of different ethnic, economic and political backgrounds. Initially, the mostly Kurdish YPG/YPJ comprised the majority of SDF and dominated it organizationally. However, it has had smaller minorities of other communities involved in it from
1605-540: A video surfaced that showed members of the Northern Sun Battalion reportedly torturing an ISIL fighter, who had been captured while planting mines. One of these mines had reportedly killed nine fighters of the battalion, leading five others to take revenge on the ISIL militant. The Manbij Military Council condemned the act, and announced that the involved Northern Sun Battalion fighters would be held for trial for violating
1712-499: Is allied to and supplied by the United States –led CJTF–OIR international alliance. Founded in 10 October 2015, the SDF claims that its mission is fighting to create a secular , democratic and federalized Syria . The SDF is opposed by Turkey, who claims the group has direct links to the PKK , which it regards as a terrorist group . Formed as a rebel alliance in the Syrian civil war ,
1819-484: Is fiercely contested between Armenians and Azerbaijanis. The current conflict has its roots in events following World War I and today the region is de jure part of Azerbaijan, although large parts were de facto held by the internationally unrecognised Republic of Artsakh , which is supported by Armenia. During the Soviet era, the predominantly Armenian-populated region was governed as an autonomous oblast within
1926-470: Is the most notable group among Syrian Turkmen Brigades supported by Turkey. The Sultan Murad Division is one of several Syrian rebel groups that support or at least tolerate Turkish nationalist or pan-Turkic ideologies like Neo-Ottomanism and Turanism . Among the commanders of the group are Ahmed Othman, Fehim İsa and Ali Şeyh Salih, who is an ethnic Arab. Among the Syrian rebel groups participating in
2033-432: Is unclear whether more prisoners remain in captivity on either side. At the time of the ceasefire, Azerbaijan had retaken most of the area south of the Lachin corridor. It had also captured one-third of Nagorno-Karabakh, mostly in the south. Under the terms of the ceasefire, Azerbaijan regained control over much of its territory that had been lost to Armenia in the earlier war. In total, Azerbaijan regained control of 73% of
2140-594: The Dawronoye movement. Geographically focused on the Manbij Region was the Army of Revolutionaries (Jaysh al-Thuwar, JAT), itself an alliance of several groups of diverse ethnic and political backgrounds, who had in common that they had been rejected by the mainstream Syrian opposition for their secular , anti- Islamist views and affiliations. The following groups signed the founding document: On 10 December 2015, after
2247-474: The Afrin and Ra’s al-Ayn regions [of Aleppo and Hasakah Governorates]... and may also be responsible for the war crime of destroying or seizing the property of an adversary." In one case, a civilian from Tel al-Arisha village displaced by fighting had to buy back his own looted possessions from a Sultan Murad officer. The commission received reports of forced marriage and abduction of Kurdish women involving members of
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#17328521886332354-681: The Armenian President , Armen Sarkissian , dismissed the director of the NSS. Subsequently, the Armenian government toughened the martial law and prohibited criticising state bodies and "propaganda aimed at disruption of the defense capacity of the country". On the same day, the Armenian MoD cancelled a Novaya Gazeta correspondent's journalistic accreditation, officially for entering Nagorno-Karabakh without accreditation. On 9 October 2020, Armenia tightened its security legislation. On 21 October 2020,
2461-720: The Azerbaijan SSR . As the Soviet Union began to disintegrate during the late 1980s the question of Nagorno-Karabakh's status re-emerged, and on 20 February 1988 the parliament of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast passed a resolution requesting transfer of the oblast from the Azerbaijan SSR to the Armenian SSR . Azerbaijan rejected the request several times, and ethnic violence began shortly thereafter with
2568-704: The Euphrates Volcano joint operations room, several mainstream Syrian rebel factions of the Free Syrian Army , who had helped defend the Kurdish town of Kobanî during the Siege of Kobanî . Liwa Thuwwar al-Raqqa had been expelled by the al-Nusra Front and ISIL from the city of Raqqa for its alliance with the YPG. The group participated in the capture of Tell Abyad from the Islamic State. Geographically focused on
2675-592: The Geneva Conventions . The five accused were arrested on 17 March. On 24 April 2024, Amnesty International reported that there is a large-scale human rights violation of more than 56,000 people including 30,000 children and 14,500 women held indefinitely in at least 27 detention facilities for those with "perceived IS affiliation". According to the report among those held in this detention system are hundreds of Yazidis , Syrians , Iraqis , and foreign citizens from nearly 74 other countries. The report described
2782-639: The Jazira Region in northeast Syria were the Assyrian Syriac Military Council (Mawtbo Fulhoyo Suryoyo, MFS) and the al-Sanadid Forces of the Arab Shammar tribe, both of whom had cooperated with the YPG in fighting ISIL since 2013. The MFS is further politically aligned with the YPG via their shared secular ideology of democratic confederalism , which in the Assyrian community is known as
2889-676: The Russian State Duma from the ruling United Russia , Vitaly Milonov , was declared persona non grata in Azerbaijan for visiting Nagorno-Karabakh without permission from the Azerbaijani government. On 24 October 2020, by recommendation of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan , the member banks of the Azerbaijani Banks' Association unanimously adopted a decision to write off the debts of the military servicemen and civilians who died during
2996-671: The State Border Service , the State Security Service , and ANAMA . Over the course of the war several Azerbaijani activists were brought in for questioning by the State Security Service, due to their anti-war activism. On 12 December, a decree by President Aliyev lifted the curfew that had been imposed in September. Casualties were high, officially in the low thousands. According to official figures released by
3103-727: The Syrian Army and the Syrian Democratic Forces during the clashes. According to the Hawar Kilis Operations Room , the unit led by Abu al-Kheir al-Munbaji that defected to the government had run criminal activities and was supposed to be arrested when it deserted. In June 2019, it captured Australian ISIL member Mohamed Zuhbi near Afrin, holding him for three months before handing him to Turkey for trial. In late 2019, it took part in Operation Peace Spring,
3210-645: The Turkish military intervention in Syria , the Sultan Murad Division is the group that receives the most support from the Turkish Armed Forces . It operates at least 8 FNSS ACV-15 armoured personnel carriers during the operation. The group also operate Milkor MGL grenade launchers . The main heavy weapons of the group consist of technical vehicles armed with heavy machine guns and autocannons . Previously it has also received BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missiles from
3317-473: The Turkish military intervention in Syria . In mid-2017, it under the command of Fahim Abu Issa and was part of the Hawar Kilis Operations Room , which received ground support from Turkish artillery. It formed the "Sultan Murad Bloc" with other units within the Syrian National Army (SNA). In November 2017, it was reported that Sultan Murad's commander Fehim Issa was appointed as the overall commander of
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3424-638: The United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic came to the conclusion that, during the 2016 siege of Eastern Aleppo, Fatah Halab vowed to take revenge on the Kurds in Sheikh Maqsoud and then intentionally attacked civilian inhabited neighbourhoods of the Kurdish enclave, killing and maiming dozens of civilians, and that these acts constitute the war crime of directing attacks against
3531-590: The United States , although more support is given by Turkey than the US since the former's intervention. The Sultan Murad Brigade was formed in early 2013 and mainly operated in the Aleppo Governorate . By 2016, the group claimed to have around 1,300 fighters. In February 2016, it joined the Jaysh Halab rebel coalition led by Ahrar al-Sham . The coalition clashed with Jaysh al-Thuwar (JaT), an FSA group affiliated to
3638-592: The line of contact established in the aftermath of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War (1988–1994). Clashes were particularly intense in the less mountainous districts of southern Nagorno-Karabakh. Turkey provided military support to Azerbaijan. The war was marked by the deployment of drones , sensors, long-range heavy artillery and missile strikes, as well as by state propaganda and the use of official social media accounts in online information warfare . In particular, Azerbaijan's widespread use of drones
3745-408: The "Second Karabakh War" ( Azerbaijani : İkinci Qarabağ müharibəsi ) and "Patriotic War". The Azerbaijani government referred to it as an "operation for peace enforcement" and "counter-offensive operation". It later announced it had initiated military operations under the code-name "Operation Iron Fist" ( Azerbaijani : Dəmir Yumruq əməliyyatı ). The territorial ownership of Nagorno-Karabakh
3852-431: The "Second Nagorno-Karabakh War", and has also been called the "44-Day War" in both Armenia and Azerbaijan. In Armenia and Artsakh, it has been called the "Second Artsakh War" ( Armenian : Արցախյան երկրորդ պատերազմ , romanized : Arts'akhyan yerkrord paterazm ), "Patriotic War" and the "Fight for Survival" ( Armenian : Գոյամարտ , romanized : Goyamart ). In Azerbaijan, it has been called
3959-515: The Armenian Cabinet of Ministers temporarily banned the import of Turkish goods , the decision will come into force on 31 December 2020. The following day, the Armenian parliament passed a law to write off the debts of the Armenian servicemen wounded during the clashes and the debts of the families of those killed. On 27 October 2020, the Armenian president Armen Sarkissian dismissed the head of
4066-489: The Armenian military has targeted densely populated areas containing civilian structures. As of 9 November 2020, the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan stated that during the war, as a result of reported shelling by Armenian artillery and rocketing, 100 people had been killed, while 416 people had been wounded. Also, during the post-war clashes, the Azerbaijani authorities stated that an Azercell employee
4173-455: The Artsakh authorities stated that the Azerbaijani forces were 5 km (3.1 mi) from Shusha . On 8 November 2020, Azerbaijani forces seized Shusha , the second-largest city in Artsakh before the war, located 15 kilometres from Stepanakert , the republic's capital. Although the amount of territory contested was relatively restricted, the conflict impacted the wider region, in part due to
4280-507: The Azerbaijani advance continued. Within days Azerbaijan announced the capture of dozens of villages on the southern front. A second ceasefire attempt midnight 17 October 2020 was also ignored. Azerbaijan announced the capture of Jabrayil on 9 October 2020 and Füzuli on 17 October 2020. Azerbaijani troops also captured the Khoda Afarin Dam and Khodaafarin Bridges . Azerbaijan announced that
4387-471: The Azerbaijani advance to within 25 kilometres of the Lachin corridor by 26 October 2020. Artsakh troops who had retreated into the mountains and forests began launching small-unit attacks against exposed Azerbaijani infantry and armour, and Armenian forces launched a counteroffensive near the far southwestern border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. On 26 October 2020, a US-brokered ceasefire came into effect, but fighting resumed within minutes. Three days later,
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4494-716: The Division. In a 2021 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report by the United States Department of State Turkey was implicated in using child soldiers by providing support to Sultan Murad Division which have been found to be recruiting minors in Syria, and also sending them to Libya to fight. Afrin Post reported that the group kidnapped a civilian, named Khalil Manla, after he filed a complaint against them and detained him to their headquarters. They beat and tortured him before released him on
4601-460: The Free Syrian Army and 5 by the Syrian Arab Army. In response, the YPG and YPJ signed the Geneva Call Deed of Commitment protecting children in armed conflict, prohibiting sexual violence and against gender discrimination in July 2014, and Kurdish security forces (YPG and Asayish ) began receiving human rights training from Geneva Call and other international organisations with the YPG pledging publicly to demobilize all fighters under 18 within
4708-498: The Hawar Kilis Operation Room, as well as of the Sultan Murad Bloc within it. The Bloc consisted of Turkmen and Arab units including Jabhat Turkmen Souriya . Between 4 and 15 June 2017, heavy fighting broke out between SNA factions led by the Sultan Murad Division and Ahrar al-Sham and its allies in and near al-Bab. By 15 June, 33 people were killed and 55 injured in the infighting. On 8 June, between 60 and 70 SNA fighters, including several Sultan Murad Division commanders, defected to
4815-405: The Interior Minister, Vilayet Eyvazov . Azerbaijan Airlines announced that all airports in Azerbaijan would be closed to regular passenger flights until 30 September 2020. The Military Prosecutor's Offices of Fuzuli, Tartar, Karabakh and Ganja began criminal investigations of war and other crimes. Also on 28 September 2020, the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, issued a decree authorising
4922-539: The Kurdish YPG". At the end of October, the al-Shaitat tribal militia, the Desert Hawks Brigade, joined the SDF to fight ISIL in the southern countryside of Hasakah Governorate . In November, the FSA group Euphrates Jarabulus Battalions announced its accession to the SDF. In December, members of the Deir ez-Zor Governorate -based Arab tribe al-Shaitat joined the SDF, sending fighters to al-Shaddadah . With continuous growth in particular due to Arab groups and volunteers joining, in March 2016 only an estimated 60% of
5029-463: The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces . A high-ranking military JaT commander "Abu Udai Menagh" was reported to have defected to the Sultan Murad Division in August 2016. It fought against ISIL in the Northern Aleppo offensive (February 2016) and the Northern Aleppo offensive (March–June 2016) . In August 2016, it captured al-Rai from ISIL in the Battle of al-Rai (August 2016) . In February 2017, it captured al-Bab from ISIL. It took part in
5136-419: The Manbij Region Groups based in the Raqqa District & Al-Thawrah District [REDACTED] NES police forces [REDACTED] NES civilian defence forces The Syrian Democratic Forces ( SDF ) is a Kurdish -led coalition formed by ethnic militias and rebel groups, and serves as the official military wing of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). The SDF
5243-472: The Military Control Service of the Armenian MoD, Movses Hakobyan , stated that already on the fifth day of war there were 1,500 deserters from Armenian armed forces, who were kept in Karabakh and not allowed to return to Armenia in order to prevent panic. The press secretary of Armenian prime minister called the accusations absurd and asked the law enforcement agencies to deal with them. Former military commissar of Armenia major-general Levon Stepanyan stated that
5350-488: The Nagorno-Karabakh region. Additionally, Armenia undertook to "guarantee safety" of transport communication between Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan exclave and mainland Azerbaijan in both directions, while Russia's border troops (under the Federal Security Service ) were to "exercise control over the transport communication". On 15 December 2020, after several weeks of cease fire, the sides finally exchanged prisoners of war. 44 Armenian and 12 Azeri prisoners were exchanged. It
5457-408: The Republic of Artsakh also occupied the surrounding Azerbaijani-populated districts of Agdam , Jabrayil , Fuzuli , Kalbajar , Qubadli , Lachin and Zangilan . The terms of the Bishkek agreement produced a frozen conflict , and long-standing international mediation attempts to create a peace process were initiated by the OSCE Minsk Group in 1994, with the interrupted Madrid Principles being
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#17328521886335564-472: The Republic of Azerbaijan reported 3,410 private houses, 512 civilian facilities, and 120 multi-storey residential buildings being damaged throughout the war. Syrian Democratic Forces Groups based in the Jazira Region & Deir ez-Zor Governorate Groups based in the Euphrates Region Groups based in the Afrin Region , Manbij Region, & Aleppo city (including Sheikh Maqsood ), withdrew to Manbij in March 2018 Groups based in
5671-448: The SDF announced the total territorial defeat of ISIL in Syria, with the SDF taking control of the last stronghold in Baghuz . Since the territorial defeat of ISIL, the SDF has increasingly been involved with resisting the growing Turkish occupation of northern Syria . The establishment of the SDF was announced on 11 October 2015 during a press conference in al-Hasakah . The alliance built on longstanding previous cooperation between
5778-540: The SDF are the various Islamist , Syrian nationalist , and pro-Turkish forces involved in the civil war. Major enemies include al-Qaeda affiliates, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Syrian National Army (TFSA), the Turkish Armed Forces , and their allies. The SDF has focused primarily on the ISIL, successfully driving them from important strategic areas, such as Al-Hawl , Shaddadi , Tishrin Dam , Manbij , al-Tabqah , Tabqa Dam , Baath Dam , and ISIL's former capital of Raqqa . In March 2019,
5885-416: The SDF by Sunni Arab rebel groups" and more generally "growing legitimacy of the SDF". Another analysis as of late June described the YPG as "only one faction of many within the SDF", however that "it's the YPG that makes the SDF reliable and effective. The SDF's other components function as auxiliaries to the SDF's 'backbone', the YPG, which ensures effective, unitary command and control." On 15 March 2017,
5992-448: The SDF growth since it began its operations were ethnic Arabs. In the context of the November 2016 Northern Raqqa offensive , The Economist said the SDF fighting force to be composed of "about 20,000 YPG fighters and about 10,000 Arabs". The next month in December 2016, Colonel John Dorrian, the Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman, stated that the SDF contained around 45,000 fighters, of which more than 13,000 were Arabs. According to
6099-410: The SDF is composed primarily of Kurdish , Arab , and Assyrian/Syriac , as well as some smaller Armenian , Turkmen and Chechen forces. It is militarily led by the People's Protection Units (YPG), a Kurdish militia regarded as a terrorist group by Turkey. SDF also includes several ethnic militias, and various factions of the Syrian opposition 's Free Syrian Army . The primary opponents of
6206-404: The SDF is in control of about 25% of the territory of Syria. In 2018, following a Turkish invasion into north west Syria , the SDF was forced from Afrin . In October 2019, the SDF had to retreat from Tell Abyad and Ras al-Ayn after a renewed Turkish invasion of Syrian territory . At the time of its founding in late 2015, The Economist described the SDF as "essentially a subsidiary of
6313-405: The Soviet Union's collapse, the region descended into outright war. The First Nagorno-Karabakh War resulted in the displacement of approximately 725,000 Azerbaijanis and 300,000–500,000 Armenians from both Azerbaijan and Armenia. The 1994 Bishkek Protocol brought the fighting to an end and resulted in significant Armenian territorial gains: in addition to controlling most of Nagorno-Karabakh,
6420-418: The Sultan Murad Division was one of the groups which volunteered to send fighters to Libya as part of a Turkish operation to aid the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord in December 2019. There were further reports of Sultan Murad fighters in Libya in early and mid 2020. The Syrian Observatory on Human Rights says these fighters include minors. One Sultan Murad squad leader, Murad Abu Hamoud Al-Azizi,
6527-509: The US government of playing a central role in the creation and maintenance of this system. In June 2015 the Turkish government and Amnesty International reported that the YPG was carrying out an ethnic cleansing of non-Kurdish populations as part of a plan to join the Jazira and Euphrates regions into a single territory. The U.S. State Department reacted by stating they would 'scrutinise' Amnesty International's accusations. The U.S. State Department stated it had to determine if there
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#17328521886336634-629: The YPG prisoners were handed by the Division to Turkey. On 25 October 2013, the Sultan Murad Division shelled a monastery in Aleppo. According to an Amnesty International report from May 2016, indiscriminate shelling of Sheikh Maqsoud during the Battle of Aleppo by the Fatah Halab joint operations room, which included the Sultan Murad Division, killed between February and April 2016 at least 83 civilians, including 30 children, and injured more than 700 civilians. Amnesty International's regional director suggested that these repeated indiscriminate attacks constitute war crimes. A February 2017 report by
6741-404: The basis of ethnicity". In interviews, YPG spokespersons acknowledged that a number of families were in fact displaced. However, they placed the number at no more than 25, and stated military necessity. They stated that the family members of terrorists maintained communications with them, and therefore had to be removed from areas where they might pose a danger. They further reported that ISIL
6848-400: The beginning, including Christians, Yezidis, Turkmen and Arabs. The participation of thousands of Arab troops fighting under the SDF, in its military councils as well as various militias and rebel groups, during the battle for Raqqa in 2015 initially made local Arab groups see that Arabs and the SDF could work together. This encouraged increased Arab membership at the time. By 2017, the SDF
6955-457: The belligerents, Armenia lost 3,825 troops killed and 187 missing, while Azerbaijan lost 2,906 troops killed, with six missing in action . During the conflict, it was noted that the sides downplayed the number of their own casualties and exaggerated the numbers of enemy casualties and injuries. The Armenian authorities stated that 85 Armenian civilians were killed during the war, while another 21 were missing. According to Azerbaijani sources,
7062-417: The bodies of the fallen. Furthermore, Armenian forces were to withdraw from Armenian-occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh by 1 December 2020, while a peacekeeping force, provided by the Russian Ground Forces and led by Lieutenant General Rustam Muradov , of just under 2,000 soldiers would be deployed for a minimum of five years along the line of contact and the Lachin corridor linking Armenia and
7169-423: The border area with Iran was fully secured with the capture of Agbend on 22 October 2020. Azerbaijani forces then turned northwest, advancing towards the Lachin corridor , the sole highway between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, putting it within artillery range. According to Artsakh, a counterattack repelled forward elements of the Azerbaijani force and pushed them back. Armenian/Artsakh resistance had managed to halt
7276-486: The campaign, Azerbaijan relied heavily on drone strikes against Armenian/Artsakh forces, inflicting heavy losses upon Armenian tanks, artillery, air defence systems and military personnel, although some Azerbaijani drones were shot down. It also featured the deployment of cluster munitions , which are banned by the majority of the international community but not by Armenia or Azerbaijan. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan used cluster munitions against civilian areas outside of
7383-400: The ceasefire occurred, the most serious being the four-day 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict . Surveys indicated that the inhabitants of Nagorno-Karabakh did not want to be part of Azerbaijan and in 2020 the Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan announced plans to make Shusha, a city of historical and cultural significance to both Armenians and Azerbaijanis, Artsakh's new capital. In August of
7490-434: The city of Stepanakert, where the population was forced to live in overcrowded bunkers , due to Azerbaijan artillery and drone strikes conflict. There were also reported difficulties in testing and contact tracing during the conflict. The Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shusha became damaged as a result of shelling. On 19 October 2020, a strong fire broke out in a cotton plant in Azad Qaraqoyunlu , Tartar District , as
7597-446: The clashes began, stating it was "in order to prevent large-scale Armenian provocations." The government made a noticeable push to use Twitter , which was the only unblocked platform in the country. Despite the restrictions, some Azerbaijanis still used VPNs to bypass them. The National Assembly of Azerbaijan declared a curfew in Baku , Ganja , Goygol , Yevlakh and a number of districts from midnight on 28 September 2020, under
7704-1085: The conflict zone. A series of missile attacks on Ganja, Azerbaijan inflicted mass civilian casualties, as did artillery strikes on Stepanakert , Artsakh's capital. Much of Stepanakert's population fled during the course of the fighting. The conflict was accompanied by coordinated attempts to spread misleading content and disinformation via social media and the internet. The conflict began with an Azerbaijani ground offensive that included armoured formations, supported by artillery and drones, including loitering munitions . Armenian and Artsakh troops were forced back from their first line of defence in Artsakh's southeast and northern regions, but inflicted significant losses on Azerbaijani armoured formations with anti-tank guided missiles and artillery, destroying dozens of vehicles. Azerbaijan made heavy use of drones in strikes against Armenian air defences, taking out 13 short-range surface-to-air missile systems. Azerbaijani forces used drones to systematically isolate and destroy Armenian/Artsakh positions. Reconnaissance drones would locate
7811-487: The conflict. On 29 October 2020, the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, issued a decree on the formation of temporary commandant's offices in the areas that the Azerbaijani forces seized control of during the conflict. According to the decree, the commandants will be appointed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs , but they will have to coordinate with other executive bodies of the government, including Ministry of Defense ,
7918-788: The conflict. As of 2 November 2020, the Azerbaijani authorities has stated that the conflict had displaced approximately 40,000 people in Azerbaijan. Seven journalists have been injured. On 1 October 2020, two French journalists from Le Monde covering the clashes in Khojavend were injured by Azerbaijani shellfire. A week later, three Russian journalists reporting in Shusha were seriously injured by an Azerbaijani attack. On 19 October 2020, according to Azerbaijani sources, an Azerbaijani AzTV journalist received shrapnel wounds from Armenian shellfire in Aghdam District. Armenian authorities reported
8025-633: The counterintelligence department of the National Security Service, Major General Hovhannes Karumyan and the chief of staff of the border troops of the National Security Service Gagik Tevosyan. On 8 November 2020, Sarkissian yet again dismissed the interim head of the National Security Service. As of 8 November 2020, one Armenian activist was fined by the police for his anti-war post. On 27 September 2020, Azerbaijani authorities restricted internet access shortly after
8132-592: The death of at least 541 Syrian fighters or mercenaries fighting for Azerbaijan. On 14 November 2020, the Observatory reported the death of a commander of the Syrian National Army's Hamza Division . Civilian areas, including major cities, have been hit, including Azerbaijan's second-largest city, Ganja, and the region's capital, Stepanakert, with many buildings and homes destroyed. The Ghazanchetsots Cathedral has also been damaged. Several outlets reported increased cases of COVID-19 in Nagorno-Karabakh, particularly
8239-591: The deaths of 3,825 servicemen during the war, while the Azerbaijani authorities stated that more than 5,000 Armenian servicemen were killed, and several times more were wounded as of 28 October 2020. After the war, the former director of the Armenian National Security Service, Artur Vanetsyan , had also stated that some 5,000 Armenians were killed during the war. Also, the Armenian authorities had stated that about 60 Armenian servicemen were captured by Azerbaijan as prisoners of war. The former Head of
8346-616: The defendants, the former Defence Minister of Armenia, Seyran Ohanyan , going to Artsakh during the conflict. On 1 October 2020, the Armenian National Security Service (NSS) stated that it had arrested and charged a former high-ranking Armenian military official with treason on suspicion of spying for Azerbaijan. Three days later, the NSS stated that it had arrested several foreign citizens on suspicion of spying. Protesting Israeli arms sales to Azerbaijan, Armenia recalled its ambassador to Israel. On 8 October 2020,
8453-461: The disputed territory, including the territory captured in Nagorno-Karabakh. It was reported that Azerbaijan regained control of 5 cities, 4 towns, 286 villages. Since the beginning of the conflict, both Armenia and Azerbaijan declared martial law , limiting the freedom of speech . Meanwhile, a new law came into effect since October 2020 in Armenia, which prohibits negative coverage of the situation at
8560-475: The end of the war, an unconfirmed number of Armenian prisoners of war were held captive in Azerbaijan, with reports of mistreatment and charges filed against them, leading to a case at the International Court of Justice . The later 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh would see the entirety of the disputed territory come under the control of Azerbaijan. The war has been referred to as
8667-620: The founding partners. While the People's Protection Units (Yekîneyên Parastina Gel, YPG) and the Women's Protection Units (Yekîneyên Parastina Jin, YPJ) had been operating throughout the regions of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria , the other founding partners were more geographically focused. Geographically focused on the Euphrates Region were the YPG's partners in
8774-449: The front. Restrictions have been reported on the work of international journalists in Azerbaijan, with no corresponding restrictions reported in Nagorno-Karabakh. On 28 September 2020, Armenia banned men aged over 18 listed in the mobilisation reserve from leaving the country. The next day, it postponed the trial of former President Robert Kocharyan and other former officials charged in the 2008 post-election unrest case, owing to one of
8881-516: The involvement of Turkey. Prior to the resumption of hostilities, allegations emerged that Turkey had facilitated the transfer of hundreds of Syrian National Army members from the Hamza Division to Azerbaijan. Baku denied the involvement of foreign fighters. The conflict was characterised by the widespread use of combat drones , particularly by Azerbaijan, as well as heavy artillery barrages, rocket attacks and trench warfare . Throughout
8988-468: The men and women in the SDF fighting force were ethnic Kurds . Growth in particular of Arab, Turkmen and Assyrian participation in the SDF has since continued. In an interview on the first anniversary of the SDF's founding, spokesman Talal Silo , an ethnic Turkmen and former commander of the Seljuq Brigade , stated that "we started with 13 factions and now there are 32 factions", and that "90 percent" of
9095-486: The military portion of Ganja International Airport but instead hitting residential areas. On the morning of the seventh day, Azerbaijan launched a major offensive. The Azerbaijani Army's First, Second, and Third Army Corps, reinforced by reservists from the Fourth Army Corps, began an advance in the north, making some territorial gains, but the Azerbaijani advance stalled. Most of the fighting subsequently shifted to
9202-599: The most recent iteration prior to the 2020 war. The United Nations Security Council adopted four resolutions in 1993 calling for the withdrawal of "occupying forces" from the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, and in 2008 the General Assembly adopted a resolution demanding the immediate withdrawal of Armenian occupying forces, although the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and USA, voted against it. For three decades multiple violations of
9309-463: The number of deserters in Armenian army was over 10,000, and it is not possible to prosecute such a large number of military personnel. During the post-war clashes, the Armenian government stated that 60 servicemen went missing, including several dozen that were captured. and On 27 October 2020, Artsakh authorities stated that its defence minister Jalal Harutyunyan was wounded in action. However, unofficial Azerbaijani military sources alleged that he
9416-496: The open. Azerbaijan targeted infrastructure throughout Artsakh starting on the first day of the war, including the use of rocket artillery and cluster munitions against Stepanakert , the capital of Artsakh, and a missile strike against a bridge in the Lachin Corridor linking Armenia with Artsakh. On the 6th day of the war, Armenia/Artsakh targeted Ganja for the first of four times with ballistic missiles , nominally targeting
9523-478: The organisational skill, but I see a large contingent about 23 to 25, 000 so far and growing, Arabs, who are marching to liberate their part of northern Syria. So, I don't see a Kurdish state. I see a multi-cultural, multi-party, multi-ethnic, multi-sectarian Syrian region being liberated from ISIS. Over." Late June, an analysis by the Counter Terrorism Center at West Point said "growing acceptance of
9630-557: The post-war clashes or landmine explosions. On 23 October 2020, President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, confirmed that Shukur Hamidov who was made National Hero of Azerbaijan in 2016, was killed during the operations in Qubadli District . This was the first military casualty officially confirmed by the government. However, Armenian and Artsakh authorities have claimed 7,630 Azerbaijani soldiers and Syrian mercenaries were killed. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented
9737-464: The reasons why we're working with them and they have continued to build the Arab element of their force." Concerning the SDF in general, Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend in the same month said that "I'm seeing what is probably a pretty broad coalition of people and the Kurds may be providing the leadership, because they have a capable leader who's stepped up to this challenge. And they are providing some of
9844-409: The region , involving Azerbaijan , Armenia and the self-declared Armenian breakaway state of Artsakh . The war lasted for 44 days and resulted in Azerbaijani victory, with the defeat igniting anti-government protests in Armenia . Post-war skirmishes continued in the region, including substantial clashes in 2022. Fighting began on the morning of 27 September, with an Azerbaijani offensive along
9951-567: The same year the government of Artsakh moved the country's parliament to Shusha, escalating tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Further skirmishes occurred on the border between the two countries in July 2020. Thousands of Azerbaijanis rallied for war against Armenia in response, and Turkey voiced its firm support for Azerbaijan. On 29 July 2020, Azerbaijan conducted a series of military exercises that lasted from 29 July to 10 August 2020, followed by further exercises in early September with
10058-487: The south in the first three days of the conflict. For the next three days, both sides largely exchanged fire from fixed positions. In the north, Armenian/Artsakh forces counterattacked, managing to retake some ground. Their largest counterattack took place on the fourth day, but incurred heavy losses when their armour and artillery units were exposed to Azerbaijani attack drones, loitering munitions, and reconnaissance drones spotting for Azerbaijani artillery as they manoeuvred in
10165-572: The south, in terrain that is relatively flat and underpopulated as compared to the mountainous north. Azerbaijani forces launched offensives toward Jabrayil and Füzuli , managing to break through the multi-layered Armenian/Artsakh defensive lines and recapture a stretch of territory held by Armenian troops as a buffer zone, but the fighting subsequently stalled. After the shelling of Martuni , Artsakh authorities began mobilising civilians. Just before 04:00 (00:00 UTC ) on 10 October 2020, Russia reported that both Armenia and Azerbaijan had agreed on
10272-525: The time that 50-70% of its troops were Arabs, 30-50% Kurds, 5% Christians, 2% Yezidis, and 2% Turkmens. Unofficial figures, quoted in Al Majalla in 2021, similarly indicated a sizeable Arab majority, 65,000 out of 100,000 total. The Arab membership of the SDF may relate to the pay levels and conscription going on within the Arab majority Northeast Syria region, as the SDF has a mandatory 1 year of service for all men living in its area of control. As of 2022 ,
10379-508: The town of Jarabulus from ISIL in September 2016, Kurdish media reported YPG allegations that Sultan Murad Division fighters were pictured next to four captured YPG fighters and that two Sultan Murad fighters from Hama were captured in retaliation by the SDF-led Jarabulus Military Council and questioned by Kurdish Anti-Terror Units , confessing to torturing the YPG prisoners. The Sultan Murad prisoners reportedly said
10486-465: The trials as "flawed", and many of the people in these camps were detained without charges. Detainees are held in inhumane conditions and subjected to torture including severe beatings, stress positions , and electric shocks with thousands having been forcibly disappeared. Women were also subjected to sexual and gender based violence by SDF security members as well as attacks by other prisoners for perceived "moral" infractions. Agnès Callamard accused
10593-473: The type of munitions deployed. Shells and rockets landed in East Azerbaijan Province , Iran , although no damage was reported, and Iran reported that several unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) had been downed or had crashed within its territory. Georgia stated that two UAVs had crashed in its Kakheti Province . On 9 November 2020, in the aftermath of the capture of Shusha, a ceasefire agreement
10700-638: Was "any veracity to the claims", but showed concern by calling for any administrator in the area to rule "with respect for all groups regardless of ethnicity". The report makes accusations of looting, coercing civilians to join their armed forces and the forced targeted displacement of 1400 families in the Turkman villages of Hammam al-Turkman , 800 Turkmen from Mela Berho and Suluk residents. The report offers unnamed witness testimony from reported victims, cross referenced with photo and video evidence, media reports, and satellite imagery to substantiate these reports. In
10807-413: Was killed and released footage apparently showing the assassination from a drone camera. During the conflict, the government of Azerbaijan did not reveal the number of its military casualties. On 11 January, Azerbaijan stated that 2,853 of its soldiers had been killed during the war, while another 50 went missing. Also, Azerbaijani authorities stated that 11 more Azerbaijani servicemen were killed during
10914-502: Was reported by Egypt Today as killed in Tripoli in fighting that month. Sultan Murad Division fighters have also been reported to have been deployed by Turkey in Azerbaijan in 2020. In 2024, 550 fighters from the Sultan Murad Division were reportedly deployed to Niger to participate in the anti-ISIS campaign on behalf of the Nigerien government. After Turkish-backed rebels captured
11021-488: Was reported by the United States Department of Defense to have an Arab majority. A 2019 Wilson Center study also suggested that a majority of the Syrian Democratic Forces' personnel are Arabs. The study was based on a respresentative survey with 391 SDF fighters; of the total respondents, 68.7% were Arabs, 17.2% Kurds, 12.5% Christians, 0.9% Yezidis, and 0.6% Turkmens. By comparison, the SDF itself estimated at
11128-458: Was seen as crucial in determining the conflict's outcome. Numerous countries and the United Nations strongly condemned the fighting and called on both sides to de-escalate tensions and resume meaningful negotiations. Three ceasefires brokered by Russia, France, and the United States failed to stop the conflict. Following the capture of Shusha , the second-largest city in Nagorno-Karabakh,
11235-424: Was seriously injured during the installation of communication facilities and transmission equipment near Hadrut . As of 23 October 2020, the Armenian authorities has stated that the conflict had displaced more than half of Nagorno-Karabakh's population or approximately 90,000 people. The International Rescue Committee has also claimed that more than half of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh has been displaced by
11342-496: Was signed by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, and the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, ending all hostilities in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict from 10 November 2020, 00:00 Moscow time. The President of Artsakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, also agreed to end the hostilities. Under the terms of the deal, both belligerent parties were to exchange prisoners of war and
11449-500: Was using civilians in those areas to plant car bombs or carry out other attacks on the YPG. In June 2014, Human Rights Watch criticized the YPG for accepting minors into their ranks, picking up on multiple earlier reports of teenage fighters serving in the YPG, with a report by the United Nations Secretary General stating that 24 minors under age of 18 had been recruited by YPG, with 124 having been recruited by
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