RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty, Czech Republic
Oct 10 2005
Azerbaijan: Soldier Killed In Ethnic Armenian Attack
(RFE/RL)
10 October 2005 — Azerbaijan’s military said today that an
Azerbaijani soldier was killed during a firefight with ethnic
Armenian forces near the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Defense Ministry spokesman Ilgar Verdiev said the 19-year-old
conscript was killed on 9 October in the gunfire exchange on the
cease-fire line that separates Azerbaijani and Armenian-backed
troops.
Verdiev said the Armenian forces started the shooting, and
Azerbaijani forces responded. Armenian officials could not be
immediately be reached for comment.
Nagorno-Karabakh and swaths of surrounding territory inside
Azerbaijan have been under control of ethnic Armenians since a
six-year war against Azerbaijan ended with a 1994 cease-fire.
The enclave’s status remains unresolved, and tensions remain high
along the cease-fire line with both sides regularly exchanging fire.