From: dbd@urartu.SDPA.org (David Davidian)
Subject: Re: Over 600 Azeri Soldiers Out of 2000 Die in Attack on Armenians
Keywords: Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)
Organization: S.D.P.A. Center for Regional Studies
Date: Wed, 08 Apr 1992 21:53:10 GMT

In article <1992Apr7.222424.8679@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> ccetinka@symcom.math.uiuc.
edu (Cetin Cetinkaya) responded to dbd@urartu.SDPA.org (David Davidian) who
wrote:

[DD] According to local sources, on Saturday, March 28, 1992, a force of about 
[CC]              ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
[DD] 2,000 Azerbaijani soldiers attacked Stepanakert, the capital of Artsakh
[DD] (Nagorno-Karabakh). The attack was accompanied by armored vehicles, tanks
[DD] and supported by GRAD multiple rocket launchers. Hundreds of Armenians 
[DD] were injured, and many killed.

[CC] You have been refusing any news from the Turkish media for a long time. 
[CC] And now you come to expect us to believe your "local sources", David? 

No. I am only informing the net-community. You can ignore this posting as you
may have ignored my posting early last month when I reported the alleged
massacre of 1000 Azeris.

[CC] They forget to add that killed people were mostly civilians. Maybe these 
[CC] local sources need more training.

Is this a question? If it is not, then how can you add such to my report which
you seem to be questioning anyway?

[DD] The Armenians counter-attacked, by taking out the sources of the GRAD
[DD] launchers in Shushi, Janhassan, Kosalar, and Ghaybali, in addition to 
[DD] local battles. In the end it was reported that out of 2,000 Azeri 
[DD] soldiers -- 631 soldiers were killed -- the ages of which were mainly in 
[DD] their twenties. Armenians soldiers reported 12 dead and 31 wounded. 

[CC] Yeah right! Just like the Operation Desert Storm... I think that this 
[CC] American dream is becoming a universal concept among "news sources". 

What are you talking about? The Azeris attacked the political center of 
Nagorno-Karabakh, this is an obviously foolish move. In addition, Cetin, I do
not take pride reporting the deaths of people, regardless of they being 
soldiers or Azeris.

[DD] Armenians reported that the heavy Azeri losses were due in part to the
[DD] inexperience of the Azeris units in addition to Azeri units firing on one
[DD] another.

[CC] No, no, let us face the fact:
[CC] these Armenian soldiers are real heros, just like American Rambo! Hey
[CC] why do you guys not attack Turkiye, it is about the time? When you have
[CC] this sort of "local sources", you do not have to fight to win.

This is exactly what three different sources reported, two Armenian political
parties in opposition to each other and an Armenian military leader who 
just happened to have been in the United States. The real question is, why was
this not reported in the international press? Perhaps they didn't want to be 
fooled again by another Azeri media blitz. Perhaps if there was an Azeri claim
of Armenians engaging in cannibalism, eating 1000 Azeri dead, the press might 
report show up.

[DD] David Davidian dbd@urartu.sdpa.org | "How do we explain Turkish troops on
[DD] S.D.P.A. Center for Regional Studies | the Armenian border, when we can't 
[DD] P.O. Box 2761                        |  even explain 1915?" 
[DD] Cambridge, MA 02238                 |              Turkish MP, March 1992

[CC]                                      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^   

[CC] Please write this in  Turkish, then let us talk about it. Moreover, your
[CC] posting explains why Turkiye has to have "millions of soldiers" on the 
[CC] border, see they will kill each other anyway.

Are you asking how this is said in Turkish? Go back to early March, and read
the many similar reports of the Turkish Parliament debate on this subject. 
This particular one comes from the March 8, 1992, NOKTA. We are still waiting 
for Ahmet Parlakbilek to help us in an exact verification -- he does that 
quite well you know!

I have not suggested how many Turkish soldiers are on the Armenian border. I 
am sure it is not "millions". As to why Turkish soldiers are on the Armenian
border...well somebody has to appease the yobaz (zealots).

-- 
David Davidian dbd@urartu.sdpa.org   | "How do we explain Turkish troops on
S.D.P.A. Center for Regional Studies |  the Armenian border, when we can't 
P.O. Box 2761                        |  even explain 1915?" 
Cambridge, MA 02238                  |              Turkish MP, March 1992 
Xref: sparky soc.culture.turkish:4163 talk.politics.mideast:10677 talk.politics.soviet:3401 soc.culture.soviet:3040 soc.culture.greek:3287 soc.culture.europe:3704