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The two countries have debated ownership of the mountainous enclave since independence with the breakup of the former Soviet Union. Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as a part of Azerbaijan, but have been run independently by and are mostly ethnic groups Armenia.
An official from the local government said fighting had pushed half of Nagorno-Karabakh’s civilian population from their homes.
“According to our preliminary estimates, about 50% of Karabakh’s population and 90% of women and children – or about 70,000-75,000 people – have been displaced,” Nagorno-Karabakh government rights ombudsman Artak Beglaryan told AFP news agency quoted. CBS.
The fighting in the Caucasus region has ended 25 years of relative peace, brought about by a ceasefire brokered to end the deadly war between the two former Soviet republics of Nagorno-Karabakh in the 1990s.
On Tuesday, Azerbaijani officials claimed that Armenian forces had targeted the oil pipeline with cluster munitions, the use of which is banned by most countries. The Armenian Defense Ministry immediately dismissed the accusations, insisting Armenian forces were not targeting any oil or gas infrastructure.
There were claims from both sides that the other side was blindly firing on civilian territory.
Earlier this week, Amnesty International (AI) issued a report corroborating information that cluster munitions were used during the bombing of Stepanakert, the main city of Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Khankendi, by the Azerbaijan Armed Forces.
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