THE WORLD TODAY

Deadly clashes over disputed region continue

CLASHES between Armenia and Azerbaijani forces over the disputed region of NagornoKarabakh are continuing after hostilities broke out on Sunday.

The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry claimed that Armenian forces started shelling the town of Tartar yesterday morning, while Armenian officials said the fighting continued throughout the night and Baku resumed “offensive actions” in the morning.

Azerbaijan’s Defence Ministry said that more than 550 Armenian troops have been “destroyed ( including those wounded)”, a claim that Armenian officials denied.

According to Nagorno- Karabakh officials, 31 servicemen have been killed so far. On Sunday, the territory’s defence ministry also reported two civilian deaths – a woman and her grandson.

Some 200 people have been wounded in the fighting, the Armenian Defence Ministry said yesterday, while Azerbaijani authorities said 26 civilians have been wounded on their side.

The heavy fighting broke out on Sunday morning in the region that lies within Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since 1994 at the end of a war.

It was not immediately clear what sparked the fighting, the heaviest since clashes in July killed 16 people from both sides.

Nagorno- Karabakh lies 30 miles from the Armenian border. Local soldiers backed by Armenia also occupy some Azerbaijani territory outside the region.

The European Union has urged both sides to halt the fighting and return to the negotiating table, following similar calls by Iran, Russia, France and the United States.