Azerbaijan MoD: Soldier killed by sniper near Armenia border
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Armenia denies that any of its forces opened fire on Azerbaijani positions amid contradicting accusations from Baku.
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Azerbaijani checkpoint in Lachin, Nagorno Karabkh, September 26, 2023 (AFP)
The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense announced that its forces were taking "retaliatory measures" after one of its soldiers was allegedly killed by an Armenian army sniper on the border between the two countries.
Armenia swiftly denied the accusation, describing it as not corresponding to reality.
The alleged incident comes amid high tension between the neighboring countries after Azerbaijan took over the ethnic Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Azerbaijan's defense ministry said that the alleged shooting happened in the Kelbajar region west of Nagorno-Karabakh.
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It was reported earlier today that almost 100,417 out of 120,000 people who lived in Nagorno-Karabakh before the recent escalation last week have fled for Armenia.
The mass departure of Nagorno-Karabakh's predominantly Armenian population began last week, shortly after Azerbaijan initiated what it termed "local-level anti-terrorist operations".
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Under the mediation of Russian peacekeepers, Nagorno-Karabakh's authorities agreed to disarm and surrender all their weaponry to Baku the following day. Notably, Armenia was not a party to these negotiations.
The Azerbaijani government committed to facilitating the "integration" of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians who choose to remain in the region.
