Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Five killed in clash between Azeris, ethnic Armenians

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Five killed in clash between Azeris, ethnic Armenians

    The Daily Star, Lebanon
    Au 2 2014


    Five killed in clash between Azeris, ethnic Armenians


    BAKU: Azerbaijan said Saturday it has lost four troops in new clashes
    with arch-foe Armenia near the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region, part
    of a dramatic spike in tensions in a long-simmering conflict.

    The Defense Ministry in Baku said "Armenia's reconnaissance and
    sabotage groups had once again tried to attack Azeri positions at the
    line of contact" near the majority Armenian region of Nagorny
    Karabakh.

    Azeri troops repelled the overnight attack, forcing Armenian soldiers
    to retreat, the Defense Ministry said.

    "As a result of the clash, four Azeri troops died," the ministry said
    in a statement.

    Nagorny Karabakh for its part said it had lost a soldier, a
    25-year-old ethnic Armenian, and accused Azerbaijan of attempting
    "sabotage and reconnaissance activities."

    The Defense Ministry of the disputed region said three Azeri troops
    had been killed and seven others received injuries.

    The latest clashes came after Azerbaijan said Friday that it had lost
    eight soldiers in three days of skirmishes with Armenian troops on the
    border and near the disputed region.

    The two ex-Soviet nations have for years been locked in a protracted
    conflict over Nagorny Karabakh with occasional skirmishes along the
    front.

    But the latest clashes represent a surge in tensions, with one
    prominent Azeri military expert saying Baku has not suffered such
    losses in a single bout of hostilities since 1994.

    International mediators, who have for years sought to help the two
    countries reach a breakthrough, expressed concern over the violence
    Friday, with the United States renewing a plea for the presidents from
    both countries to meet for talks.

    "Retaliation and further violence will only make it more difficult to
    bring about a peaceful settlement," deputy State Department
    spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement.

    Armenian-backed separatists seized Nagorny Karabakh from Azerbaijan in
    a 1990s war that killed 30,000 people.

    Despite years of negotiations since a 1994 ceasefire, the two sides
    have yet to sign a peace deal.

    Energy-rich Azerbaijan has threatened to take back the disputed region
    by force if negotiations do not yield results, while Russia's ally
    Armenia has vowed to retaliate against any military action.


    http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/World/2014/Aug-02/265840-five-killed-in-clash-between-azeris-ethnic-armenians.ashx#axzz39CXVdvMM

Working...
X