Azerbaijan liberates Jabrayil town from Armenian occupation

ANKARA

Azerbaijan’s armed forces have liberated another town from Armenian occupation amid ongoing border clashes in Upper Karabakh, President Ilham Aliyev announced on Sunday.

"Today, the Azerbaijani army liberated the city of Jabrayil and some villages from occupation. Long live the Azerbaijani army. Karabakh is Azerbaijan," Aliyev wrote on Twitter.

Earlier in the day, Turkey's National Defense Ministry announced the liberation of the south-western territory.

"According to the information obtained from reliable Azerbaijani sources; after the villages of Buyuk Mercanli, Maralyan and Sheybey, the Azerbaijani army also liberated from occupation the city of Jabrayil, which was of critical importance in the Karabakh region."

The operations launched by Azerbaijan’s armed forces with an aim to reclaim occupied territories continue, security sources said on the condition of anonymity.

Fighting began Sept. 27 when Armenian forces targeted Azerbaijani civilian settlements and military positions in the region, leading to casualties.

Upper Karabakh conflict

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Upper Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan.

Multiple UN resolutions, as well as many international organizations, demand the withdrawal of the invading forces.

The OSCE Minsk Group -- co-chaired by France, Russia and the US -- was formed in 1992 to find a peaceful solution to the conflict, but to no avail. A cease-fire, however, was agreed upon in 1994.

Many world powers including Russia, France, and the US have urged an immediate cease-fire. Turkey, meanwhile, has supported Baku's right of self-defense.