Tweet
FIVE AZERBAIJANI TROOPS KILLED IN BORDER CLASHES WITH ARMENIA
RTT News
http://www.rttnews.com/1900748/five-azerbaijani-troops-killed-in-border-clashes-with-armenia.aspx?type=gn&utm_source=google&utm_campaig n=sitemap
June 6 2012
(RTTNews) - Azerbaijan's defense ministry said Tuesday that five of
its soldiers have been killed in two separate clashes with Armenian
troops along the border separating the two nations.
The ministry said four Azerbaijani soldiers were killed in fighting
with an "Armenian sabotage group" attempting to enter Azerbaijani
military positions in the village of Asagi Askipara in the country's
western Qazax district.
The ministry said the infiltrating Armenian group had retreated after
suffering causalities in the fighting with Azerbaijani troops. A fifth
Azerbaijani soldier was reported killed in a separate shooting incident
in Qazax district, but Azerbaijan did not provide further details.
Nevertheless, Armenia's defense ministry rejected the Azerbaijani
claims and insisted that its troops were only responding to an
incursion attempt made by a group of "armed diversionists" trying to
"invade Armenian territory" in the Tovuz district. Armenia claimed
the Azerbaijani group was "neutralized," adding that none of its
soldiers were killed or injured in the fighting.
The fighting marked the second day of border clashes along the
Azerbaijan-Armenia border. Armenia had said earlier that three of
its soldiers were killed in border clashes with Azerbaijani troops on
Monday. Soldiers from both sides were said to have suffered injuries
in the fighting.
In wake of two days of deadly border clashes, Azerbaijan's foreign
minister Elmar Mammadyarov told reporters that he will discuss the
issue with his Armenian counterpart when the two meet in Paris on
June 18 for mediated talks aimed at finding a long-term solution to
their dispute.
The latest development comes amidst a visit by US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton to the South Caucasus as part of Washington's efforts
to resolve territorial disputes in the region. She is currently In
Georgia after visiting Armenia on Monday, and is due to arrive in
Azerbaijan on Wednesday.
While in Armenia on Monday, Clinton said: "I am very concerned
by these incidents and have called on all parties, all actors, to
refrain from the use or threat of force. There is a danger that it
could escalate into a much broader conflict that would be very tragic
for everyone concerned."
Armenia and Azerbaijan had fought a war over the disputed enclave of
Nagorno-Karabakh in the 1990s. Armenian troops are currently occupying
the enclave after they helped Armenian separatists to seize control
from Azerbaijan in the early 1990s. The war for the enclave resulted
in the death of nearly 30,000 people and forced two million others
to flee their homes.
Though the two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in May 1994,
the dispute remains unresolved despite continued international
efforts spearheaded by Russia, France and the US. While Azerbaijan
demands an immediate withdrawal of Armenian forces from the enclave,
Armenia insists on the territory's independence.
RTT News
http://www.rttnews.com/1900748/five-azerbaijani-troops-killed-in-border-clashes-with-armenia.aspx?type=gn&utm_source=google&utm_campaig n=sitemap
June 6 2012
(RTTNews) - Azerbaijan's defense ministry said Tuesday that five of
its soldiers have been killed in two separate clashes with Armenian
troops along the border separating the two nations.
The ministry said four Azerbaijani soldiers were killed in fighting
with an "Armenian sabotage group" attempting to enter Azerbaijani
military positions in the village of Asagi Askipara in the country's
western Qazax district.
The ministry said the infiltrating Armenian group had retreated after
suffering causalities in the fighting with Azerbaijani troops. A fifth
Azerbaijani soldier was reported killed in a separate shooting incident
in Qazax district, but Azerbaijan did not provide further details.
Nevertheless, Armenia's defense ministry rejected the Azerbaijani
claims and insisted that its troops were only responding to an
incursion attempt made by a group of "armed diversionists" trying to
"invade Armenian territory" in the Tovuz district. Armenia claimed
the Azerbaijani group was "neutralized," adding that none of its
soldiers were killed or injured in the fighting.
The fighting marked the second day of border clashes along the
Azerbaijan-Armenia border. Armenia had said earlier that three of
its soldiers were killed in border clashes with Azerbaijani troops on
Monday. Soldiers from both sides were said to have suffered injuries
in the fighting.
In wake of two days of deadly border clashes, Azerbaijan's foreign
minister Elmar Mammadyarov told reporters that he will discuss the
issue with his Armenian counterpart when the two meet in Paris on
June 18 for mediated talks aimed at finding a long-term solution to
their dispute.
The latest development comes amidst a visit by US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton to the South Caucasus as part of Washington's efforts
to resolve territorial disputes in the region. She is currently In
Georgia after visiting Armenia on Monday, and is due to arrive in
Azerbaijan on Wednesday.
While in Armenia on Monday, Clinton said: "I am very concerned
by these incidents and have called on all parties, all actors, to
refrain from the use or threat of force. There is a danger that it
could escalate into a much broader conflict that would be very tragic
for everyone concerned."
Armenia and Azerbaijan had fought a war over the disputed enclave of
Nagorno-Karabakh in the 1990s. Armenian troops are currently occupying
the enclave after they helped Armenian separatists to seize control
from Azerbaijan in the early 1990s. The war for the enclave resulted
in the death of nearly 30,000 people and forced two million others
to flee their homes.
Though the two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in May 1994,
the dispute remains unresolved despite continued international
efforts spearheaded by Russia, France and the US. While Azerbaijan
demands an immediate withdrawal of Armenian forces from the enclave,
Armenia insists on the territory's independence.