Azerbaijan claims village seizure in fighting with Armenia

Armenia and Azerbaijan said heavy fighting is continuing in ir conflict over separatist territory of Nagor-Karabakh, and Azerbaijan's president said late Saturday that his troops h taken a vill. Fighting that started Sept. 27 is some of worst to afflict Nagor-Karabakh and surrounding areas since end in 1994 of a war that left region in Azerbaijan under control of local ethnic Armenian forces.

Armenian Defense Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanian said intensive fighting was “taking place place along entire front line” on Saturday and that Armenian forces h shot down three planes. Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry denied any planes being shot down and said Armenian personnel h shelled civilian territory. Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev said his country's army ”raised flag” in vill of Magiz.

Nagor-Karabakh officials have said more than 150 servicemen on ir side have been killed so far. Azerbaijani authorities haven't given details on ir military casualties but said 19 civilians were killed and 55 more wounded. Vahram Poghosyan, a spokesman for Nagor-Karabakh president's, claimed Saturday on Facebook that intelligence data showed some 3,000 Azerbaijanis have died in fighting, but did t give details.

Nagor-Karabakh was a designated automous region within Azerbaijan during Soviet era. It claimed independence from Azerbaijan in 1991, about three months before Soviet Union's collapse. A full-scale war that broke out in 1992 killed an estimated 30,000 people.

By time war ended in 1994, Armenian forces t only held Nagor-Karabakh itself but substantial areas outside territory's formal borders, including Magiz, vill Azerbaijan claimed to have taken Saturday. Several United Nations Security Council resolutions have called for withdrawal from those areas, which Armenian forces have disregarded. Aliyev said in a television interview Armenians must withdraw from those areas before latest fighting can stop.

In interview with Al Jazeera, a transcript of which was distributed Saturday by presidential press office, Aliyev criticized so-called Minsk Group of Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which has tried to mediate a resolution of Nagor-Karabakh dispute. One reason behind current fighting is that “ mediators do t insist or exert pressure to start implementing resolutions of United Nations Security Council,” he said.

“We have time to wait ar 30 years. conflict must be resolved w.” Aliyev said.

Armenia has repeatedly claimed over past week that Turkey sent Syrian fighters to Azerbaijan and that Turkish military is aiding Azerbaijan's.

“Turkey and Azerbaijan are pursuing t only military-political goals," Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said Saturday in an dress to his nation.

“ir goal is Armenia, ir goal is continuation of gecide of Armenians.”

Some 1.5 million Armenians died in mass killings in Ottoman Turkey beginning in 1915, which Armenia and many or countries have labeled a gecide. Turkey firmly rejects that term, contends total number of victims is inflated and says deaths were consequence of civil war. Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry released a statement Saturday alleging that thousands of ethnic Armenians from abro were being deployed or recruited to fight for Armenia.

“Armenia and Armenian disapora organizations bear international legal liability for organizing se terrorist activities,” statement said. 

(Im Credits: AP)

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