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Global Post
Nov 22 2014
Ethnic Armenian rebels 'recover bodies' from chopper downed in Karabakh
Ethnic Armenian separatists in the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region
said Saturday they have recovered the bodies of their crew shot down
in a helicopter by Azerbaijani forces last week.
Since the military chopper was brought down close to the frontline of
the breakaway ethnic Armenian region on Wednesday, the crash site has
come under Azerbaijani fire.
But in a statement issued Saturday, the separatists said they
successfully carried out an operation to recover the corpses, and also
killed two Azerbaijani soldiers in the process.
Baku however denied the claims, saying that the rebels had carried out
no operation in the area and that the Azerbaijani military had
suffered no losses.
"This information is a purposeful provocation and falsehood,"
Azerbaijan's defence ministry said in a statement.
Armenia has threatened "grave consequences" over the downed helicopter
and the incident sparked fears of a major escalation in the
decades-long Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over the disputed region.
Armenia-backed separatists seized the mountainous region, which is
mainly inhabited by ethnic Armenians, from Azerbaijan in a war in the
1990s.
Despite years of negotiations, the two sides have not yet signed a
final peace deal, with Karabakh still internationally recognised as
part of Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijani and Armenian forces have in recent months regularly
exchanged fire across their frontier and along the Karabakh frontline.
Last August saw an unprecedented spiral of violence with more than 20
troops killed from both sides in the deadliest clashes since an
overall ceasefire was agreed.
Oil-rich Azerbaijan, whose military spending exceeds Armenia's entire
state budget, has threatened to take back the region by force if
negotiations fail to yield results.
Armenia, which is heavily armed by Russia, says it could crush any offensive.
mkh-eg-im/am/hmn
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/141122/ethnic-armenian-rebels-recover-bodies-chopper-downed-karabakh
Nov 22 2014
Ethnic Armenian rebels 'recover bodies' from chopper downed in Karabakh
Ethnic Armenian separatists in the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region
said Saturday they have recovered the bodies of their crew shot down
in a helicopter by Azerbaijani forces last week.
Since the military chopper was brought down close to the frontline of
the breakaway ethnic Armenian region on Wednesday, the crash site has
come under Azerbaijani fire.
But in a statement issued Saturday, the separatists said they
successfully carried out an operation to recover the corpses, and also
killed two Azerbaijani soldiers in the process.
Baku however denied the claims, saying that the rebels had carried out
no operation in the area and that the Azerbaijani military had
suffered no losses.
"This information is a purposeful provocation and falsehood,"
Azerbaijan's defence ministry said in a statement.
Armenia has threatened "grave consequences" over the downed helicopter
and the incident sparked fears of a major escalation in the
decades-long Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over the disputed region.
Armenia-backed separatists seized the mountainous region, which is
mainly inhabited by ethnic Armenians, from Azerbaijan in a war in the
1990s.
Despite years of negotiations, the two sides have not yet signed a
final peace deal, with Karabakh still internationally recognised as
part of Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijani and Armenian forces have in recent months regularly
exchanged fire across their frontier and along the Karabakh frontline.
Last August saw an unprecedented spiral of violence with more than 20
troops killed from both sides in the deadliest clashes since an
overall ceasefire was agreed.
Oil-rich Azerbaijan, whose military spending exceeds Armenia's entire
state budget, has threatened to take back the region by force if
negotiations fail to yield results.
Armenia, which is heavily armed by Russia, says it could crush any offensive.
mkh-eg-im/am/hmn
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/141122/ethnic-armenian-rebels-recover-bodies-chopper-downed-karabakh