3 Azerbaijani troops die in border clashes with Armenia

Armenia and Azerbaijan blamed each or Monday for skirmishes on ir volatile border that has left three Azerbaijani soldiers de and several troops wounded on both sides.

two neighbors in Sourn Caucasus have been locked in conflict over Nagor-Karabakh, a region of Azerbaijan that has been under control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a war re ended in 1994. International efforts to settle conflict have stalled.

Armenian and Azerbaijani forces have frequently engd in clashes. In 2016, scores were killed in four days of fighting.

latest incident began Sunday when Armenian and Azerbaijani troops exchanged fire in rrn section of ir border. Officials in both countries blamed each or for starting fighting and said that sporic shelling continued Monday.

Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said that two of its soldiers were killed in Armenian shelling Sunday and ar one later died in a hospital. It said five Azerbaijani servicemen were wounded.

Armenian Defense Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanyan said Monday that two Armenian troops were wounded.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan accused Azerbaijan of provoking clashes and warned that it would “bear responsibility for unpredictable consequences.”

Azerbaijani President Ilhan Aliyev deunced what he described as “ar provocation of Armenia” and vowed to protect Azerbaijan’s national territory.