Violent conflict in Azerbaijan’s ethnic Armenian enclave for more than a quarter of a century.
At least 26 militants have been killed in clashes with Azerbaijani troops in the broken area of Nagorno-Karabakh, bringing their military death toll to 84 in the extreme round of fighting for more than a quarter of a century, according to its defense ministry.
Al Jazeera also reported on Tuesday that the number of civilians killed had risen to 11 – nine in Azerbaijan and two in Armenia, bringing the total death toll to 95.
“This is a life-and-death battle,” Nagorno-Karabakh leader Areik Harutyuan was quoted as saying by Reuters in a news briefing.
Officials in Baku and Yerevan said fierce clashes continued throughout the day on Monday.
On Monday evening, Azerbaijani forces “launched a large-scale offensive in the southern and northeastern regions of the Karabakh front line,” Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman Artesen Hovninen said.
The Karabakh Defense Ministry said in a statement late Monday evening that “twenty-six fighters from the Karabakh Defense Forces were killed” in the operation.
World leaders have called for an end to fighting after the worst growth since 2016 raised the impression of a second war between former Soviet rivals Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The UN Security Council will discuss the crisis behind closed doors on Tuesday after pressure from France and Germany to put the issue on the agenda.
Decades-long controversy
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been embroiled in a territorial dispute since the 1990s when the Armenian besieged Karabakh in Azerbaijan declared independence after the war in which nearly 30,000 people were killed.
The independence of Nagorno-Karabakh is not recognized by any country and is considered part of Azerbaijan by the international community.
Azerbaijan has not released information on military casualties since the latest fighting began.
During a clash in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, a hospital in Stepnecart, Nagorno-Karabakh’s main town, is said to have been injured, according to doctors. [Handout/Armenian Foreign Ministry via AFP]
The war between Azerbaijan and Armenia could destabilize a wide area and overwhelm countries, including Russia and Turkey.
Russia, which has military ties to Armenia, sells billions of dollars worth of sophisticated weapons to both Baku and Yerevan.
Armenia has accused Turkey – which supports Turkish-speaking Azerbaijan – of meddling in the conflict.
Greater risk of civilian casualties
Armenian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anna Nagdalyan said Turkish military experts were fighting Azerbaijan, and that Turkey had provided drones and warplanes.
Azerbaijan denies the allegations, while Turkey has vowed to end the fighting.
Talks of reconciling one of the worst conflicts since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, when a ceasefire was agreed in 1994.
France, Russia and the United States mediated peace efforts under the auspices of the Minsk group, but the last major push for a peace deal broke in 2010.
We haven’t seen anything like this since the ceasefire in the 1990s. The fight is taking place with all parts of the front line, said Olesya Vartanyan, a senior analyst in the South Caucasus region of the international crisis group.
Vartani said the use of rockets and artillery carries a high risk of civilian casualties which could make it difficult to prevent escalation through diplomatic means.
Russia has called for an immediate ceasefire and Turkey has said it will support Azerbaijan.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has demanded that Armenia immediately abandon Azerbaijani territory, saying it is occupying it, and said it was time to end the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis.
