Azerbaijani forces inflict more losses on Armenian army

BAKU

Armenia’s army continued to suffer losses amid its attacks on Azerbaijani soldiers and settlement areas in various points of the front despite a cease-fire, Baku’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

“During the day on Nov. 2 and night on Nov. 3, the Armenian armed forces fired at the positions of the units of the Azerbaijani Army in different directions of the front and our human settlements using various small arms, howitzers and mortars,” the ministry said in a statement.

“The combat operations continued mainly in the direction of Aghdere, Khojavend, Zangilan and Gubadli,” the statement added.

Armenian forces were “forced to retreat with casualties in personnel and military vehicles in some areas of the front,” the statement read.

“During the day and nighttime, a large number of enemy troops, 4 - BM-21 "Grad" MLRS, 1 - KUB air defense missile system, 9 - different types of howitzers and 2 - trucks loaded with ammunition were destroyed and wrecked,” it added.

“At present, our troops are monitoring the operational situation,” the ministry said.

Upper Karabakh conflict

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

Fresh clashes erupted on Sept. 27, and since then Armenia has repeatedly attacked Azerbaijani civilians and forces, even violating three humanitarian cease-fires since Oct. 10.

While world powers have called for a sustainable cease-fire, Turkey has supported Baku's right to self-defense and demanded the withdrawal of Armenia's occupying forces.

Multiple UN resolutions also call for the withdrawal of the invading forces.