Azerbaijan launches military action in Karabakh to disarm Armenians
Send a link to a friend
[September 19, 2023]
By Andrew Osborn
LONDON (Reuters) -Azerbaijan launched "anti-terrorist activities" in the
Nagorno-Karabakh region to restore constitutional order and drive out
what it called Armenian military formations there, a move that could
foreshadow a new war in the region.
Loud shelling was audible from unverified social media footage filmed in
Stepanakert, the capital of Karabakh, called Khankendi by Azerbaijan, on
Tuesday.
Azerbaijan's defense ministry spoke in a statement of its intention to
"disarm and secure the withdrawal of formations of Armenia’s armed
forces from our territories, (and) neutralize their military
infrastructure."
It said it was only targeting legitimate military targets using
"high-precision weapons" and not civilians as part of what it called a
drive to "restore the constitutional order of the Republic of
Azerbaijan."
Civilians were free to leave by what it called humanitarian corridors,
it added, including one to Armenia.
Armenia, which says its armed forces are not present in Karabakh, said
in a statement via its defense ministry that the situation on its own
border with Azerbaijan was stable.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Sep/19/images/ads/current/chicagost_sda_FOOTBALL_2023.png)
Internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, Karabakh has an
overwhelmingly ethnic Armenian population and broke from Baku's control
in the early 1990s after a war.
Azerbaijan recaptured swathes of land in and around it in a 2020 war,
but ethnic Armenian authorities who see the area as their ancestral
homeland, remained in control of part of Karabakh, including its
capital.
A ceasefire deal brokered by Russia and enforced by Russian peacekeepers
has remained fragile ever since though with frequent shelling and mutual
accusations.
Armenia has accused Moscow, which is embroiled in its own war in
Ukraine, of being too distracted to be able to guarantee its security.
Russia's foreign ministry said it was in contact with Azerbaijan and
would make a statement soon.
[to top of second column]
|
![](../images/091923PIX/news_r2.jpg)
People cross a street in Stepanakert, the capital of the breakaway
region of Nagorno-Karabakh, October 19, 2020. REUTERS/Stringer/File
Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2019/Sep/05/images/ads/current/stclara_lda_SPONSOR_090519.png)
Ruben Vardanyan, a billionaire banker who was a top official in
Karabakh's ethnic Armenian administration until February, wrote on
X, formerly known as Twitter:
"Azerbaijan has initiated a massive artillery attack against Nagorno
Karabakh, targeting cities and civilians on a large scale."
Reuters could not immediately verify assertions from either side.
Baku said it had informed Russia's peacekeeping force along with a
Turkish-Russian monitoring centre which is meant to help ensure the
2020 ceasefire is upheld.
Baku announced its operation after complaining that six of its
citizens had been killed by land mines in two separate incidents,
something it blamed on "illegal Armenian armed groups."
The escalation occurred a day after badly needed food and medicine
was delivered to Karabakh along two roads simultaneously, a step
that looked like it could help ease mounting tension between
Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Until the last few days, Baku had imposed sweeping restrictions on
the Lachin corridor - the only road linking Armenia with Karabakh -
and had not allowed in aid on the grounds that the route was
purportedly being used for arms smuggling.
Armenia had said that Baku's actions, which is said had caused a
humanitarian catastrophe, something Azerbaijan denied, were illegal.
Armenia's foreign ministry had said on Monday that Azerbaijan's
diplomatic stance looked like it was preparing the ground for some
kind of military action.
(Reporting by Reuters, writing by Andrew OsbornEditing by Guy
Faulconbridge)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |