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Ethnic Armenian-controlled Nagorno-Karabakh has independent of Azerbaijan in the 1990s or after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. However, Baku still considered that the territory which was an ally of Armenia was still part of Azerbaijan. (Read: Conflict Heats Up, Armenia Threatens Azerbaijan with Russian Iskander Missiles)
Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan, as quoted Reuters, said enemy forces were trying to regain control of lost land by launching counterattacks at Fizuli, Jabrayil, Agdere and Terter.
The ministry said in a statement that earlier this morning there was fighting in the vicinity of the city of Fizuli and Armenian soldiers had opened fire on the Dashkesan region on the border between the two countries, which is a few miles from Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenia denied the claims, but confirmed the all-night fighting and said Nagorno-Karabakh troops fended off attacks in several directions along the line of contact. (Read: Nagorno-Karabakh War: Azerbaijan Attack with Turkish F-16s, Kills Dozens)
Clashes between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, the largest since 2016, have revived concerns over stability in the South Caucasus region, a pipeline corridor that brings oil and gas to world markets.
The two sides accuse each other of using heavy artillery in clashes earlier this week in which dozens of people were killed and hundreds were injured.
Azerbaijan on Sunday reported on the deaths of five members of a family, while Armenia said on Tuesday that a 9-year-old girl was killed in the shooting, while Mother and a brother were injured. (Also read: Turkey accused of deploying 4,000 Syrian militias to Azerbaijan, Erdogan denies)
Lilit Makunts, a lawmaker from Armenia’s ruling My Step alliance, wrote on her Facebook page that Armenia is considering the possibility of finalizing a military-political alliance with Nagorno-Karabakh.
Any move for an all-out war could drag on major regional powers; Russia and Turkey. Moscow has a defense alliance with Armenia, which provides vital support to the enclave and is a lifeline for the outside world, while Ankara supports its own ethnic Turkic relatives in Azerbaijan.
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