Border clashes between Azerbaijan, Armenia continue

BAKU, Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani troops continued to inflict heavy blows to the Armenian military amid ongoing border clashes between the two countries.

Azerbaijani artilleries destroyed the command and observation zone of the Armenian army’s 5th Destroyer Regiment, one tank, and three guns, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

It added that the Azerbaijani army continued combat operations on various directions of the front to expand its achievements from the last few days.

The Armenian army opened fire on the villages of Tartar, Barda, Agdam, Agjabedi, Fizuli and Jabrayil in the morning, and the Azerbaijani army gave the necessary response, according to another ministry statement.

The ministry also said that the Azerbaijan army was successfully pushing forward in the "intended directions," as well as took possession of new strongholds and carried out a cleanup of the territory from "the enemy."

During combat operations, a significant amount of manpower, military equipment, and other combat assets of the Armenian forces were destroyed, it added.

As of early morning Wednesday, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces destroyed up to 250 tanks and other armored vehicles, up to 270 artillery pieces, multiple launch rocket systems, and mortars, up to 60 air defense tools, 11 command-control and command-observation posts, eight ammunition depots, up to 150 vehicles, and one S-300 anti-aircraft missile system, the ministry said in a written statement.

The ministry also shared footage of the destruction of some Armenian military equipment.

Upper Karabakh conflict

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

Relations between the two ex-Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Upper Karabakh, or Nagorno-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 reached in 1994.

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

*Additional writing by Gozde Bayar