Azeri and Armenian soldiers killed in clash

Several soldiers from Armenia and Azerbaijan were killed in clashes on the countries’ border, their defence ministries said yesterday. Each accused the other of encroaching on its territory. The former Soviet republics have long been in conflict over Azerbaijan’s breakaway, mainly ethnic Armenian region of Nagorno-Karabakh, although the latest clashes occurred about 300 kilometres from the mountainous enclave. The Azeri defence ministry said four of its soldiers were killed and five wounded while Armenia’s ministry said two of its soldiers were wounded. Exchanges of fire in the South Caucasus began on Sunday and continued yesterday.