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Agence France Presse
July 26, 2014 Saturday 1:08 PM GMT
Azerbaijani troops kill Armenian soldier in Karabakh: separatists
YEREVAN, July 26 2014
Azerbaijani forces shot dead an Armenian soldier in frontline clashes
in the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region on Saturday, the breakaway
defence ministry said.
"A 20-year-old soldier, Khachatur Badasian, suffered a fatal gunshot
wound" after Azerbaijani special forces "attempted an incursion to
carry out sabotage and spying" in the early hours of Saturday, the
ministry said.
It said that the separatist forces then managed to drive Azerbaijani
troops back across the northern and northeastern sections of the
volatile frontline.
Armenia's defence ministry said there had also been clashes along the
border in the Karabakh region with Azerbaijani forces shooting at
Armenian villages.
There has been an uptick in violence across the border in recent
months, with both sides regularly accusing the other of tit-for-tat
raids.
At least 21 soldiers have been killed so far this year, as government
and rebel snipers periodically exchange fire across the flashpoint
frontier.
Armenia-backed separatists seized Nagorny Karabakh from Azerbaijan in
a 1990s war that killed 30,000 people. Despite years of negotiations
since a 1994 ceasefire, the two sides have yet to sign a peace deal.
Azerbaijan has threatened to take back the disputed region by force if
negotiations do not yield results, while Armenia has vowed to
retaliate against any military action.
mkh-am/pg/ec
July 26, 2014 Saturday 1:08 PM GMT
Azerbaijani troops kill Armenian soldier in Karabakh: separatists
YEREVAN, July 26 2014
Azerbaijani forces shot dead an Armenian soldier in frontline clashes
in the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region on Saturday, the breakaway
defence ministry said.
"A 20-year-old soldier, Khachatur Badasian, suffered a fatal gunshot
wound" after Azerbaijani special forces "attempted an incursion to
carry out sabotage and spying" in the early hours of Saturday, the
ministry said.
It said that the separatist forces then managed to drive Azerbaijani
troops back across the northern and northeastern sections of the
volatile frontline.
Armenia's defence ministry said there had also been clashes along the
border in the Karabakh region with Azerbaijani forces shooting at
Armenian villages.
There has been an uptick in violence across the border in recent
months, with both sides regularly accusing the other of tit-for-tat
raids.
At least 21 soldiers have been killed so far this year, as government
and rebel snipers periodically exchange fire across the flashpoint
frontier.
Armenia-backed separatists seized Nagorny Karabakh from Azerbaijan in
a 1990s war that killed 30,000 people. Despite years of negotiations
since a 1994 ceasefire, the two sides have yet to sign a peace deal.
Azerbaijan has threatened to take back the disputed region by force if
negotiations do not yield results, while Armenia has vowed to
retaliate against any military action.
mkh-am/pg/ec