Turkey Conducts Large-Scale Military Exercises at Border with Armenia

The "2019 Winter" international military exercises, which started on February 4 in Turkey's border province of Kars, are set to conclude on February 22. In addition to the Turkish Armed Forces, 14 countries are participating in the exercises, 7 of which have observer status.

A total of 1,446 soldiers are engaged in the exercises, utilizing 545 military vehicles and 790 pieces of equipment. As previously reported by the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, a unit from the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic has also taken part in the drills.

According to Ermenihaber, the exercises involve Turkey's land, naval, and air forces.

Turkey's Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Chief of General Staff, Army General Yaşar Güler, Commander of the Land Forces, Army General Umit Dundar, Commander of the Naval Forces, Admiral Adnan Özbal, and Commander of the Air Forces, Army General Hasan Küçükakyüz have monitored the exercises. Several Turkish sources report that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also followed the drills via video link.

During the exercises, the Turkish Armed Forces employed several domestically produced military assets, including "Bayraktar TB2" drones, "Atak" Skorsky-type military helicopters, and "Cirit" and "UMTAS" missiles. In addition to executing combat tasks, they also conducted rescue operations.

A specific scenario for military operations was developed within the exercises. One of the main features was that all operations were carried out under snowy conditions and in difficult terrain.