Turkey’s renowned TB2 drones “significantly” cut down civilian casualties during the recent Karabakh War, Irina Tsukerman, a New York-based human rights lawyer and analyst, told Trend News Agency on Thursday.
“The use of precision weapons, airstrikes, and new and emerging technologies such as the precision-guided high-end Bayraktar TB2 UAVs helped minimize civilian casualties,” noted Tsukerman.
According to Tsukerman, Armenian forces were taken by surprise during the war as they relied more on traditional warfare, choosing to decimate civilian quarters in a bid to get the Azerbaijani side to retaliate.
“The new generation warfare concept also included the long-distance jammers and, in general, was much more focused on air and missile strikes than on ground strategy. For that reason, Armenian forces were completely outplayed as they relied more on traditional conventional war attacks, as well as attempts to decimate civilian centers in an attempt to draw Azerbaijan into a reactionary response.”
Instead, they were surprised with precision strikes that minimized civilian casualties and took out their capabilities, added Tsukerman.
Tsukerman also noted that with the Karabakh conflict winding down, there is “ample opportunity for economic integration of South Caucasus, as well as many opportunities towards working for joint goals with the European Union and other countries.”
Tsukerman concluded by praising the Azerbaijani Army’s “top-notch” coordination and morale, which was a decisive factor in the war.
“The Azerbaijani army showed a great deal of military preparedness, high level of morale, excellent coordination among themselves and with the operators of the new technologies, and had acquired and been clearly trained in the top-notch equipment that had surpassed even what the Russians had provided Armenia with and what was once considered top of the line.”
Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
During a subsequent 44-day conflict which ended under a deal signed Nov. 10, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages from Armenian nearly three-decade occupation.
The cease-fire is seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia, whose armed forces withdrew in line with the agreement.
Turkey’s combat drones had reportedly destroyed the Russian-made Pantsir missile systems in Syria, Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh, as Ankara’s deployment of UAVs was credited for the victories clenched by Turkey’s allies from Asia to Africa.
The Bayraktar TB2 armed UAV, which was developed and manufactured by Turkish defense company Baykar Technologies, has been used by the Turkish Armed Forces and the country’s Security Directorate since 2015, most recently credited for Azerbaijan’s military success in the Karabakh conflict.