Azerbaijani soldier killed in Nagorno-Karabakh shootout

AP Worldstream; Jul 21, 2005

An Azerbaijani soldier was killed during an exchange of gunfire with
Armenian-backed forces from the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave,
a defense ministry spokesman said Thursday.

Pvt. Rafael Jafarov, 19, was shot Tuesday and died en route to the
hospital, said spokesman Ramiz Melikov. He blamed Jafarov’s death on
Armenian-backed forces.

Armenian officials could not be immediately be reached for comment.

Nagorno-Karabakh has been under control of ethnic Armenians since a
six-year war against Azerbaijan ended with a 1994 cease-fire. The war
killed some 30,000 people and drove a million from their homes. The
enclave’s status remains unresolved and tensions remain high along
the cease-fire line with both sides regularly exchanging fire.

Meanwhile, in meetings with President Ilham Aliev in Baku, Turkish
Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul pledged to help Azerbaijan reform its
army and make it more efficient. Gonul also met with Azerbaijan’s
foreign minister to discuss cooperation with NATO and ways to solve
the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.

Turkey is Azerbaijan’s closest ally in the region.