Azerbaijani Soldiers Killed In Karabakh Fighting

Several Azerbaijani soldiers were killed in fighting over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, the worst outbreak of military violence in roughly a year. Armenia and Azerbaijan blame each other for the attack.

The Nagorno-Karabakh region is situated in western Azerbaijan, despite its population being predominantly Armenian. Tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia have escalated after a decade long ceasefire that has been repeatedly violated by both states. The roots of the rocky relationship date back to the fall of the Soviet Union in 1990.

In 1994, a separatist war gave way to an Armenian presence in the area, despite its geopolitical position in Azerbaijan. The war killed 25,000 and displaced millions. The current state of the Karabakh region is showing parallels to the state of the countries during the separatist war as tensions heighten. In April 2016, 75 soldiers from both sides were killed; the worst outbreak of violence since the 1990s.

In 2014, Azerbaijani forces shot down an Armenian plane which kick-started the ceasefire violations. Increasing military confrontations in the Nagorno-Karabakh region threaten to destabilize the South Caucasus region and pose a threat to the global oil market, which relies heavily on exports from the area. Peace talks have been unsuccessfully facilitated by Russia in the past year.

The defense ministry of Nagorno-Karabakh claims that no Armenian soldiers were killed in the recent fighting, only Azerbaijani soldiers, though both sides claim to have suffered casualties. According to an Armenian news outlet, Azerbaijan deployed tanks for military support during the fighting.

The Azerbaijani losses will most likely fuel increased military violence in the area in the coming months.

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