At least three individuals were killed in a gunfire exchange between Azerbaijani soldiers and the police of Nagorno-Karabakh, an autonomous region populated by ethnic Armenians, as reported by Armenia’s Interior Ministry on Sunday. Both sides presented contrasting narratives; Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that the shooting occurred while inspecting vehicles transporting arms on a rural road that connects Nagorno-Karabakh’s capital Stepanakert to Armenia. Conversely, the shooting was described by Armenia’s Internal Ministry as an “ambush” that took the lives of three officers from the previously mentioned region’s passport division. Azerbaijan’s forces suffered casualties, though the exact figure was not disclosed. The incident exacerbates tensions that were already heightened due to the 2020 war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, which resulted in over 6,000 fatalities. Nagorno-Karabakh, which is situated within Azerbaijani territory, was controlled by Armenian troops backed by Armenia since 1994. A Russia-mediated ceasefire, which compelled Armenia to surrender areas surrounding the region, concluded the conflict. The Lachin Corridor, a meandering road that connects Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, is the only authorized link between the entities, offering a critical lifeline for supplies to nearly 120,000 people residing in the region. However, protesters, believed to have Azerbaijani backing, have blocked the road since December, resulting in severe supply shortages.
3 police officers die in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
