Azerbaijan launches military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh
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Azeri security services confirm that four police officers and two civilians were killed in separate mine blasts in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
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Azerbaijan military sappers clear mines in the countryside outside the town of Fuzuli, on November 26, 2020 (AFP)
The Azeri Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday that Azerbaijan had launched an "anti-terrorist operation" in Nagorno-Karabakh, almost three years after it went to war over the disputed mountainous region with Armenia.
"Anti-terrorist operations in the region of a local character have begun," the Ministry said, adding that it was using "high-precision weapons on the front line and in depth" as part of the operation.
The statement pointed out that Azerbaijan informed Russia and Turkey about the military activities it was carrying out.
"The command of the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation and the leadership of the Turkish-Russian Monitoring Center were informed about the activities being carried out," the Ministry said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Azeri security services confirmed that four police officers and two civilians were killed in separate mine blasts in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, blaming "sabotage groups" amid tensions with neighboring Armenia.
The security services said two men died in the Khodzhavenskiy district and four police officers were later killed while on their way to the blast site.
It said the two civilians were killed around 4:00 am by a mine placed by Armenian separatist "sabotage groups".
The blast happened "in the zone of temporary deployment of the Russian peacekeeping contingent," deployed by Moscow in 2020 as part of a ceasefire deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The police officers who subsequently died were on the road to Azerbaijani-controlled Shusha.
Azerbaijan opened a terrorism probe into the incident. The deaths came a day after aid deliveries resumed to breakaway Karabakh territories, raising hopes for tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease.
Karabakh is heavily mined and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev has said that landmines were the main obstacle to the return of displaced people to territories retaken from Armenia in 2020.
Azerbaijan said Tuesday more than 300 of its nationals have been wounded or killed by mines since 2020.
The Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh was at the center of two wars between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
In the 1990s, Armenia defeated Azerbaijan and took control of the region, which is an internationally recognized part of Azerbaijan. Thirty years later, the latter took revenge.
After the 2020 war, Yerevan was forced to cede several territories it had controlled for decades.
The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh remains volatile and Armenia has accused Azerbaijan of moving troops near the region recently, raising concerns of a new large-scale conflict.
It is noteworthy that in May, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan declared that Armenia recognized the region as Azerbaijani territory. However, the situation has since taken a troubling turn, with accusations flying from both sides.
Read more: Fear of new war between Armenia, Azerbaijan looms: Report
