BAKU UNDERTAKES RANGER RAID IN KARABAKH-AZERBAIJAN CONTACT LINE - DEFENSE MINISTRY
STEPANAKERT, April 3. /ARKA/. Azerbaijani troops undertook a ranger
raid in the southern section of Karabakh-Azerbaijan contact line
Thursday night with using a mine-clearance devise, the press office
of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic's defense ministry reports.
The ministry says that thanks to the professional measures taken by
Karabakh servicemen, the raiders were thrown back with losses. Details
of the incident are being investigated.
The Karabakh side sustained no losses. Karabakh conflict broke out
in 1988 when Karabakh, mainly populated by Armenians, declared its
independence from Azerbaijan.
On December 10, 1991, a few days after the collapse of the Soviet
Union, a referendum took place in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the majority
of the population (99.89%) voted for secession from Azerbaijan.
Afterwards, large-scale military operations began. As a result,
Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven regions
adjacent to it.
Some 30,000 people were killed in this war and about one million
people fled their homes.
On May 12, 1994, the Bishkek cease-fire agreement put an end to the
military operations.
Since 1992, talks brokered by OSCE Minsk Group are being held over
peaceful settlement of the conflict. The group is co-chaired by USA,
Russia and France. -----0---
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