Azerbaijan says 70 Armenian troops killed in Nagorno-Karabakh clashes

Azerbaijani forces have killed 70 Armenian soldiers and destroyed 20 armored vehicles in the past two days, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, at least 16 Azerbaijani troops were killed as heavy fighting continued Monday and Tuesday over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, the ministry said.

The Armenian forces launched attacks overnight Tuesday across the contact line in the direction of Khojavend-Fizuli and Agdere-Terter in a bid to regain lost positions, it added.

Hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the contact line of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region flared up overnight Saturday with the two countries blaming each other for triggering the escalation.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a bitter dispute over the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Conflict first broke out in 1988, when the enclave dominated by ethnic Armenians claimed independence from Azerbaijan and declared to join Armenia.

Peace talks have been held since 1994 when a cease-fire was reached, but there have been occasional minor clashes.

Source: XINHUA