Azerbaijan death toll rises to 12 in Armenia attacks
BAKU
The death toll from the Armenian attacks on Azerbaijani civilian settlements since Sunday rose to 12, Azerbaijani officials said on Tuesday.
Azerbaijani prosecutors said in a statement that one more civilian were killed in the attacks of Armenian forces.
The statement also said two more Azerbaijani civilians were injured in the attacks on civilian settlements in different regions, raising the tally to 35.
At least 65 residences and five public buildings were destroyed in Armenia’s attacks between Sept. 27-29, said the office of the chief prosecutor.
Border clashes broke out early Sunday when Armenian forces targeted Azerbaijani civilian settlements and military positions, leading to casualties. Azerbaijan's parliament declared a state of war in some of its cities and regions following Armenia's border violations and attacks in the occupied Upper Karabakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh, region.
On Monday, Azerbaijan declared partial military mobilization amid the clashes.
Upper Karabakh conflict
Relations between the two former Soviet nations have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Upper Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan.
Four UN Security Council and two UN General Assembly resolutions, as well as many international organizations, demand the withdrawal of the occupying forces.
The OSCE Minsk Group — co-chaired by France, Russia and the US — was formed in 1992 to find a peaceful solution to the conflict, but to no avail. A cease-fire, however, was agreed upon in 1994.
France, Russia and NATO, among others, have urged an immediate halt to clashes in the occupied region.