Armenia, Azerbaijan clash leaves seven troops dead

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

Seven Armenian soldiers were killed in clashes between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces during the last week, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a statement on Sept. 5.

According to the ministry, Armenian forces allegedly violated the cease-fire 834 times with mortars and high-caliber weapons on the frontline along western Azerbaijan. In response to their attacks, Azerbaijani forces targeted Armenian positions over 1,000 times, the statement added.

Many Armenian soldiers were also left wounded in the clashes, it noted.

Clashes between the two began in 1988 over the rights on the Nagorno-Karabakh territory, and later evolved into a full-fledged war in 1992.

Since the end of the war in 1994, Armenian and Azerbaijani delegations have held talks over the status of Nagorno-Karabakh under the supervision of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Minsk Group.

Although a ceasefire was signed in 1994, clashes regularly occur along the border.