Three killed in Karabakh

BAKU: Azerbaijan and Armenia reported clashes on their volatile border on Tuesday that killed one Azeri soldier and two Armenian troops, in the latest skirmish following a 2020 war between the ex-Soviet rivals.

The two Caucasus countries clashed in late 2020 for control of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, leaving more than 6,000 dead in a matter of weeks.

Azerbaijan’s defence ministry said the soldier died as a result of a “provocation” by Armenian troops in Kalbajar and that “all responsibility for tension lies with the military-political leadership of Armenia”.

Armenia said later on Tuesday that two of its soldiers had also been killed, denouncing what it described as the Azeri army’s “provocative actions”.

Yerevan earlier said Azerbaijan had deployed drones and artillery against its troops in a region on the country’s eastern border.

Kalbajar district was one of several Armenia ceded to Azerbaijan as part of a ceasefire agreement that was brokered by Moscow.