Authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh have said Azerbaijan attacked residential areas in two of their largest cities with rockets and artillery shells. Azerbaijan has denied targeting civilian areas.
At least three civilians of Nagorno-Karabakh’s largest city were killed during overnight shelling by Azeri forces as Baku pushed its offensive to gain control over separatist territory for a sixth week in a row.
Local authorities said a woman and her two grandchildren died in the same house in the regional capital, Stepanakert, after rockets and artillery shells hit residential areas.
The strategic city of Shushi, 15 kilometers (9 miles) to the south of Stepanakert and the enclave’s second-largest city was also attacked overnight. Several houses were on fire, the territory’s Emergency and Rescue Service reported.
“The Azerbaijani-Turkish forces opened intense gunfire at the town of Shushi and the city of Stepanakert during the entire night,” Armenian state news agency Armenpress reported.
Independent observers said fighting appeared to be moving deeper into the mountainous enclave.
Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry denied the reports of targeting civilian areas, calling the allegations “misinformation.” Azerbaijan accused Armenia of targeting the city of Terter and nearby villages in Azerbaijan.
Human toll in Azerbaijan-Armenia fight for Nagorno-Karabakh Residential area reduced to rubble The governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan accuse each other of deliberately bombing civilian targets. For example, part of the city of Shusha in Nagorno-Karabakh’s famous 19th-century cathedral was destroyed in early October. According to authorities in the Nagorno-Karabakh region , Azerbaijani troops are just a few kilometers from the strategically important city.
Human toll in Azerbaijan-Armenia fight for Nagorno-Karabakh Destroyed livelihood Ragiba Guliyeva stands in the ruins of her house in Ganja, Azerbaijan’s second largest city, which was hit in a rocket attack. “I was in the kitchen when beams and stones rained on me all of a sudden,” she said. “I screamed as loudly as I could.” Ganja is dozens of kilometers from the front. The government of Azerbaijan blames Armenian troops for the attack.
Human toll in Azerbaijan-Armenia fight for Nagorno-Karabakh Mourning the children Several people were killed in the attack on Ganja, according to Azerbaijani authorities. Guliyeva’s 13-year-old grandson, Artur, was one of the victims. At a church service, teachers and classmates paid their respects. According to official figures, at least 130 civilians were killed on both sides.
Human toll in Azerbaijan-Armenia fight for Nagorno-Karabakh Volunteering for the front Authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh say 1,200 soldiers have died since fighting started in September. Azerbaijan’s government has not reported the extent of its military losses. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently mentioned a total of 5,000 people dead on both sides. Young men keep on volunteering for service at the front, such as these fighters in the Nagorno-Karabakh capital, Stepanakert.
Human toll in Azerbaijan-Armenia fight for Nagorno-Karabakh A decades-old conflict The region has been controlled by Armenian separatists since Azerbaijan’s government lost control in a territorial war from 1988 to 1994. A fragile ceasefire has been in effect since. The painting in a school in Barda honors a soldier who died.
Human toll in Azerbaijan-Armenia fight for Nagorno-Karabakh International intervention? Propaganda and war rhetoric govern everyday life in Azerbaijan, which is ruled by an authoritarian regime. The government, in Baku, receives weapons and expressions of solidarity from Turkey. Russia is the protective power for Armenia’s government, in Yerevan. Observers warn that the regional powers could actively intervene in the conflict.
Human toll in Azerbaijan-Armenia fight for Nagorno-Karabakh Holding out in shelters Regional authorities estimate that half of the residents, or 75,000 people, could flee the fighting. Residents who remain continue to hold out in basements and shelters.
Human toll in Azerbaijan-Armenia fight for Nagorno-Karabakh The coronavirus in a conflict zone Life in shelters has become routine for many Stepanakert residents. The rooms are crowded and poorly ventilated. The people are safe from the bomb attacks, but doctors warn of a rapid spread of the coronavirus. There are no officials figures, but some doctors have estimated that about half of the shelters’ residents test positive on a daily basis.
Human toll in Azerbaijan-Armenia fight for Nagorno-Karabakh Classrooms as emergency shelters People fled the fighting in Azerbaijan, too, including from the town of Terter, which is right on the front. Some found refuge in neighboring Barda, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Nagorno-Karabakh, where schools have been used as emergency shelters since the end of September. But they are not safe either.
Human toll in Azerbaijan-Armenia fight for Nagorno-Karabakh The front approaches Several buildings were destroyed and cars burned out during an air raid on Barda a few days ago. Azerbaijani authorities reported at least 21 dead and dozens injured. The Armenian government denied the attack, but Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, pledged “retaliation on the battlefield” and “revenge.”
Human toll in Azerbaijan-Armenia fight for Nagorno-Karabakh No foreseeable peace The fighting continues. The government of Azerbaijan has demanded the complete withdrawal of Armenian troops from Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia’s prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, has officially asked Russia for help. The Foreign Ministry has pledged Russia’s “necessary assistance” should the fighting shift to Armenian territory. Author: Julia Hahn
Read more: Fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh: Ethnic Armenians in limbo
Tensions escalate
At least 1,000 people have died in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but populated and controlled by ethnic Armenians backed by Armenia since a war ended there in 1994. The latest outbreak of conflict began on September 27.
According to Nagorno-Karabakh officials, 1,177 of their troops and 50 civilians have been killed. Baku has reported at least 92 civilian deaths and more than 400 wounded.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on October 22 that the actual death toll was nearing 5,000.
According to the UN children’s agency UNICEF, over 130,000 residents have been displaced since the fighting escalated.
The conflict, which also threatens the security of Azeri oil and gas pipelines, has continued despite two Russia-brokered cease-fires and a US-negotiated truce failing instantly after it took effect.
A week ago, France, Russia and the United States called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to make a mutual agreement not to target residential areas, but the accord failed within hours.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has said that Armenian forces must withdraw from Nagorno-Karabakh for the conflict to end.
Watch video 02:59 Share Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3ka85 The human toll of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
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