Shootout in Karabakh; casualties reported
Shootout in Karabakh
Early morning today, Sunday March 5, in the area of Karabakh controlled by the Russian peacekeeping contingent there was an armed skirmish between Azerbaijani soldiers and the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Dead and wounded are reported on both sides.
Gunfire was heard both in Khankendi (Stepanakert) and in Shusha (Shushi), eyewitnesses say.
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Information from Baku
According to the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan, early in the morning the Azerbaijani army received a message about transportation of weapons, ammunition and manpower from the territory of Armenia along a dirt road detour of the Lachin road.
After that, the operational group of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan advanced on the road to conduct a check on the ground. When they tried to stop an Armenian vehicle reported to be transporting the items, the passengers of the latter opened fire, which the soldiers returned.
The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan reports losses on both sides, though the exact number of dead and wounded is not known.
“Today’s incident once again shows that Azerbaijan needs to install the appropriate checkpoint on the Lachin-Khandi road.
The fact that Armenia still carries out military cargo to the Karabakh economic district of Azerbaijan proves its aggressive stance.
All responsibility for provocation lies with the military-political leadership of Armenia,” their statement reads.
The Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan made a statement about the incident.
“Similar acts of aggression and provocations once again demonstrate that Armenia has not renounced its occupation policy against Azerbaijan, that the views of Armenia on a peaceful agenda are nothing more than hypocrisy, that Armenia is not interested in establishing peace and security in the region. These actions once again prove the need for border control between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
In order to prevent such military provocations, Azerbaijan requires the terms of the tripartite statement be observed, termination of supplies from Armenia of illegal weapons and ammunition, personnel and mines, the immediate withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from Azerbaijani territory,” the statement says.
Information from Yerevan
The Armenia media report that “the Azerbaijani sabotage group fired at members of the visa and passport department. The incident occurred in the area known as Hripal.”
Three dead are reported — Lieutenant Colonel Armen Babayan, Major David Danielyan and Lieutenant Ararat Gasparyan. Lieutenant David Hovsepyan received a gunshot wound to the chest and is in hospital
The day before, the command of Russian peacekeeping forces deployed in Nagorno -Karabakh reported violations of the ceasefire in Martuni and Shushi districts.
Information from the scene
The authorities of the unrecognized republic deny that weapons and ammo were being transported along the road.
“Police officers were traveling in a passenger car from the Artsakh side to our police station, there were no weapons or ammunition in the car,” state minister Gurgen Nersisyan said.
He called Azerbaijan’s ststament “a frank attempt to mislead everyone.”
According to Nersisyan, “the Artsakh authorities have all sorts of evidence” which “will be communicated through the Foreign Ministry as soon as possible.”
Nersisyan stated that the Azerbaijani military has been active in the area clearing settlements and other structures.
Application of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia
Yerevan calls the incident “nothing more than terrorism”.
“In parallel with the actions aimed at blocking the Lachin corridor and the creation of a humanitarian catastrophe in Nagorno -Karabakh, Azerbaijan continues to terrorize the Armenian population of Artsakh with the ultimate goal of ethnic cleansing,” the statement reads.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry calls on the international community, countries and international organizations interested in establishing a real world in the region, “to condemn the use of power and threats by Azerbaijan”, “take active measures to exclude further violations by Azerbaijan of its own international obligations.”
Statement of the Foreign Ministry of the unrecognized NKR
“A preliminary analysis of the circumstances of the murder of police officers allows you to regard the actions of the Azerbaijani side as a war crime.
The penetration of the Azerbaijani sabotage group into the territory of Artsakh and an attack on the police officers of Artsakh is another egregious violation of a tripartite statement of November 9, 2020 and indicates Azerbaijan’s desire to escalate,” the statement says.
“It is noteworthy that these attacks were made immediately after contacts on unblocking the Lachin corridor held on March 1 between representatives of Artsakh and Azerbaijan. Baku openly demonstrates the denial of negotiations as a means of reaching decisions on any issues.
This incident once again indicates the true goals of Azerbaijan and its intention to carry out ethnic cleansing in Artsakh. Clearly they have taken the international community’s lack of adequate counter-measures for carte blanche.”
The statement calls on all parties and the international community to “revise their approaches and take effective and arising from international law steps to suppress the terrorist and genocidal policy of Azerbaijan.”
