The conquest of the town of Šuša would open the way to the administrative center of the area, which is Stěpanakert, 15 kilometers away. Shusha lies on the road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia.
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Following Aliyev’s announcement, a large number of people gathered in the streets of the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, for celebrations. They waved flags, chanted slogans and drivers trumpeted.
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That’s not true, Armenia says
However, officials from the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the Armenian Ministry of Defense deny Aliyev’s statement. Despite the severe destruction, they say the city resists the “enemy” and has not been conquered. Yerevan usually does not report the loss of territory, or talks about tactical withdrawal. However, heavy fighting for the city continues, and Nagorno-Karabakh’s army said it had repulsed several attempts by the Azerbaijani party to advance into the city.
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However, the mere fact that he is fighting for a city about 50 kilometers from the border with Azerbaijan testifies to the territorial losses and the advance of Azerbaijani forces.
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The government of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic of Arcach said that Azerbaijan again used a Smerš 300 mm rocket launcher with a range of up to 70 km.
Fighting broke out on September 27 and claimed several thousand lives, including civilian ones, Russia said more than 5,000 were dead, and Armenia had claimed 2,000 lives.
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