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Photo taken from a video released by the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry showing members of the Azerbaijani armed forces opening fire during the confrontation with Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh – Photo: REUTERS
Reuters reported that fighting in the Nagorno-Karabakh region had escalated dramatically on September 28 and dozens of people were killed as the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia continued there on Monday.
Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as the Republic of Artsakh, is an area located on the territory of Azerbaijan, but it has a large population of Armenian descent. This self-proclaimed country borders Armenia and regularly receives support from Armenia.
The two sides fired heavy projectiles at each other during this conflict. “This is a war of life and death,” declared Arayik Harutyunyan, the leader of Nagorno-Karabakh.
On the night of September 28, the spokesman for Artsrun Hovhannisyan of the Armenian Defense Ministry said that Azerbaijani forces carried out “a major offensive against the southern and northeastern parts of the Nagorno-Karabakh front.”
According to the AFP news agency, the Nagorno-Karabakh side said that 26 more soldiers were killed by the end of September 28, bringing the total number of soldiers killed to 84. Along with 9 civilians killed on the Azerbaijani side and 2 civilians on the Armenian side, the total number of people killed has risen to 95.
Azerbaijan reported no military casualties. However, the Armenian side released images showing burned armored vehicles and the bodies of soldiers who they thought were Azerbaijani soldiers.
Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the two states of the former Soviet Union, reignited on September 27 after the outbreak of armed clashes that led to accusations of guilt on the part of both sides.
The fiercest fight in many years. Nagorno-Karabakh it could push regional countries like Russia and Turkey to intervene. Russia currently has a military alliance with Armenia, while Turkey supports Azerbaijan.
“We have not seen anything like this since the ceasefire agreement in the 1990s. There is fighting in all areas of the front line” – Olesya Vartanyan, senior analyst commented at Crisis Group, an NGO.
Also on September 28, Azerbaijan announced a partial military mobilization after declaring martial law the day before. The Armenian and Nagorno-Karabakh parties declared martial law and mobilized the people on September 27. Men over 18 years of age in Armenia are prohibited from leaving the country.
The AFP news agency quoted information from diplomats as saying that the UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting in the form of a closed-door meeting on September 29 to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Germany and France are the countries that requested to hold the meeting, then other European countries such as Belgium and the United Kingdom also supported this movement.
