Azerbaijan has renewed efforts to regain control of Nagorno-Karabkh, a disputed enclave with a majority ethnic Armenian population and a decades-long source of conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Azerbaijan’s military announced it has launched « localized anti-terrorist measures » after landmines killed four soldiers and two civilians early Tuesday in the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The majority ethnic Armenian territory, located within Azerbaijan, has been the source of conflicts and wars between Azerbaijan and Armenia since the late Soviet period.
Azerbaijan’s defense ministry in the capital Baku blamed the deaths on « Armenian separatists » — a charge Armenia dismissed as a provocation.
A contingent of up to 2,000 Russian peacekeepers — installed after Moscow negotiated an end to large-scale hostilities in 2020 — has apparently not acted against Azerbaijan’s current military offensive.
Azerbaijan has also benefited from military support from its traditional ally Turkey, which has increasingly filled a big-power void in the South Caucasus as Russia has focused its resources on the war in Ukraine.
Baku says the aim of the current mission, which began Tuesday, is to « disarm and remove » Armenian forces illegally operating inside the enclave and protect ethnic Azeris living in the region.
