Uzeir Jafarov: Euphoria Must Not Overshadow Our Eyes

(Armed Forces require reform, important decisions and personnel solutions. This is evidenced by the results of the April war, the former deputy commander of a brigade of the National Army and now a military expert Uzeir Jafarov said in the interview with Turan).

Today, after the April fighting in Karabakh many are busy analyzing, summarizing and forecasting. Successes and liberated territories, however, do not mean that everything goes smoothly and there are no problems. On the contrary, the war has revealed a number of significant issues that will have a long-term and possibly decisive importance for Azerbaijan, said Jafarov.

First of all, the number of casualties should be clarified, the events should be analyzed and the reasons for the successes and failures should be called. If there were guilty ones, it should be clarified what measures have been taken. It's clear that many issues cannot be made public and discussed openly, but that does not mean that the public should be in the dark or get misinformation.

First of all, we should note the high level of our units in the southern sector, which carried out a brilliant counter operation, releasing about 20 square kilometers, including a strategic height Lala Tapa, almost without losses.

On the northern direction our special force acted excellently and carried out tasks in the enemy rear, occupying strategic heights. However, it is in this direction we had significant losses, which could have been avoided. I think the lack of coordination and the slowness in decision-making should be the subject of serious analysis.

The work of the Ministry of Defense Military Intelligence Office, which caused a lot of questions, should be evaluated.

We should prepare for a new provocation of the Armenian side, which does not accept the loss, and does not hide plans for the return of the lost territories.

Therefore, important and fundamental issues should be resolved as soon as possible, Jafarov said, when asked what should be done.

"First of all, the war showed that experienced combat commanders, participants of the last war are in high demand, and they should be returned. The April battles showed the high level of our Special Force - enlisted personnel and officers. Moreover, the commander of the unit, which carried out a brilliant operation in the south, Mais Barkhudarov, is also a former commando. But today those, who prepared and nurtured these officers, are out of work.

A great merit in the creation, formation and training of the fighters of today belongs to the former head of the Defense Ministry Intelligence Office, General Talib Mammadov. This cadre officer passed the way from the commander of a reconnaissance company in Afghanistan to a graduate of the Frunze Academy, but he is out of the work today.

The same can be said about the commander of the unit, General Galib Mammadov.

These people are known for their merits not only during the first Karabakh war, but also in the huge work during the construction of the armed forces after the war.

How can a belligerent state "forget" about such specialists? I can explain it with only one thing - the Supreme Commander has insufficient information or is simply misinformed.

The same can be said about such officers as the holder of two Orders of Flag of Azerbaijan, a former brigade commander Colonel Shair Ramaldanov and colonels Guloglan Bagirov, Chingiz Aliyev, Abuzar Abilov, Aziaga Ganizade, Khatai Bakhyshev and a dozen other officers with combat experience, whose presence in the army will only strengthen the moral and morale. It is not even necessary to assign them all to their former positions; it is enough to make them advisors to the commanders of the units," said Jafarov.

"Everything indicates that the enemy is seriously preparing and saving power. There is every reason to believe that the Armenians in the most inconvenient time for us can exercise a provocation with the aim to return the lost territories. It has indirect and direct evidence. We cannot rely on the assurances of international mediators that it will not happen," the expert said, when asked how he expects the situation to develop at the front.

"Today in the Armenian society two tendencies prevail: the first is that, if a new war breaks out, there will be more losses, and the second is that it is necessary to give “a good lesson” to Azerbaijanis, whom Russia “rescued” from defeat in April. Apparently supporters of the second tendency prevail among the Armenians, no matter how crazy it might seem. Therefore, our military leaders should develop plans A, B, C and D, applicable to a particular case.

The armed forces and the society should be ready for them, and the role of the officers and commanders and their credibility will play a leading role.

Everyone can draw arrows on the map, but not every brigade commander can get on the tank and lead the soldiers behind him. The April war once again proved to be a success, wherever such commanders operated," said Jafarov.

Asked how he assesses the fighting capacity of the Armenian side, the expert noted the leading staff changes in the Ministry of Defense of Armenia. "It's a measure of how serious findings were made in Yerevan and that the Armenian leadership is not afraid to admit that in their army there is a serious failure and problems. We should act in the same spirit and we should not be taken away by the euphoria of success," Jafarov said.

At the same time, it is no secret that since the start of hostilities in Karabakh, the population began to hastily leave and desertion in the military increased, as well as cases of hazing and even murder.

Today, Armenians do not hesitate to recognize the high level of corruption and crime in the army and to admit that the Defense Minister and the Chief of Staff are directly responsible for that.

Just a few months ago, the opinion of the Armenian society of their army was just the opposite.

Today there are open calls for Serzh Sargsyan to resign or to return the lost. It is no coincidence that Yerevan went so far as to return to the army Samvel Babayan, whose name they associate with the greatest successes of 1993-94 and who was expelled from Armenia a few years ago.

"All of this suggests that another escalation on the front is imminent. We should be ready, the enemy cannot be underestimated, and most importantly, we cannot allow the Armenians’ plans to remain secret for us so that we could be taken by surprise," Jafarov said. -02B-