Azerbaijan recently announced that it has initiated “anti-terrorist operations” in Nagorno-Karabakh, nearly three years after engaging in a war with Armenia over the disputed region.
This declaration comes after months of escalating tensions between the two Caucasus countries, and shortly after Baku claimed that six Azerbaijanis were killed by mines in Karabakh, with Armenian separatists being held responsible.
The defense ministry of Baku stated that “localized anti-terrorist measures” have been launched in the area, utilizing “high precision weapons” both on the front line and in the depths as part of these operations.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a long-standing conflict over Karabakh, engaging in wars in both the 1990s and 2020.
Although the breakaway region is predominantly populated by Armenians, it is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.
Baku has expressed concern about “systemic shelling” of Azerbaijani positions by Armenian separatists in Karabakh, as well as ongoing mining activities in their territories, and has accused Yerevan of amassing troops in the region.
Additionally, Azerbaijan has claimed to have repeatedly warned of violations of a Russian-brokered ceasefire that ended the 2020 war, asserting that such actions pose a significant threat to peace and stability in the area.
The main objectives of Azerbaijan’s operations include suppressing large-scale provocations in Karabakh, disarming and withdrawing Armenian armed forces from their territories, as well as ensuring the safety of civilians returning to the areas recaptured in 2020.
Earlier, Baku reported the deaths of four police officers and two civilians in mine explosions caused by “Armenian separatist groups.”
On Tuesday, blasts were observed in the Armenian separatist stronghold of Stepanakert in the breakaway region, according to an AFP reporter.
Ruen Vardanyan, a former state minister of Karabakh, stated on Telegram that “mass shelling has started here.”
Baku has notified Russia and Turkey about its military activities in Karabakh.
In a 2020 six-week war, Azerbaijan regained control of certain territories in Karabakh, with fighting halting due to a Russian-brokered peace agreement.
