Dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan: Both sides continuously fire artillery causing many casualties
Armenian forces fired another missile at another area of Ganja city and another fell near the nearby strategic city of Mingecevir.
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| Armenian forces fire artillery towards an Azerbaijani military outpost during the conflict in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. (Photo: AFP/VNA) |
The conflict in the disputed Nagorny-Karabakh region between Armenia and Azerbaijan escalated in the early morning of October 17 when Armenian forces continued to shell the Azerbaijani city of Ganja, causing dozens of civilian casualties.
Armenian forces fired another missile at another area of Ganja city and another fell near the nearby strategic city of Mingecevir.
Hours earlier, Azerbaijani forces also shelled the capital Stepanakert of the disputed Nagorny-Karabakh region.
According to the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's Office, the shelling in Ganja killed 12 civilians and injured 40 others. Meanwhile, Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmat Hajiyev said more than 20 houses were destroyed.
Previously, on October 11, another area of Ganja - the second largest city in Azerbaijan with more than 300,000 people, was also shelled, killing 10 civilians.
Fighting has resumed between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, despite repeated calls from regional and world powers for both sides to observe a ceasefire.
The humanitarian ceasefire was previously agreed upon by the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan on October 10 with Russia as the mediator. However, immediately after the ceasefire came into effect, both Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other of violating the agreement.
The Nagorny-Karabakh region lies deep in the southwestern territory of Azerbaijan, but is predominantly populated by ethnic Armenians who want to annex the region to Armenia.
This sparked sovereignty disputes between the two countries, culminating in a war that lasted from February 1988 to May 1994, killing about 30,000 people.
Tensions flared up again on the morning of September 27 after fierce clashes broke out between the two sides, which have so far left hundreds of people dead.