Azeri serviceman killed by Armenian fire near Karabakh

An Azerbaijani serviceman, Akif Baxshiyev, was killed by Armenian fire on April 1, the Ministry of Defense said on its website.  

Baxshiyev, a conscript from Ismayilli District, was shot by an Armenian sniper in Tartar District, northeast of Nagorno-Karabakh, APA news agency said.

An Armenian army officer, Arutyun Safaryan, was killed in a landmine explosion south of Nagorno-Karabakh the day before, according to News.am.

Armenians, backed by Russia, captured nearly 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s internationally-recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts, in a war after the Soviet breakup in 1991.

Yerevan has yet to comply with four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal from the occupied territory.

Large-scale hostilities ended with a ceasefire in 1994 but no peace agreement has been signed.

Azerbaijan has warned it reserves the right to use military force to regain control of the territory should peace efforts mediated by Russia, the U.S. and France fail. 

ANN.Az