Azernews.Az

By Ayya Lmahamad

Five Azerbaijani servicemen, including a major general and colonel, have been killed during the Armenian attack on the border on the night leading to July 14, Deputy Defense Minister Lieutenant General Kerim Veliyev told local media on July 14.

"On the night of July 13-14, fierce battles continued on the territory of Tovuz region. Within two days, crushing blows were made on the enemy. Up to 100 units of manpower, a large number of military equipment and important enemy facilities were destroyed,” he said.

The fallen Azerbaijan servicemen are Major General Polad Gashimov, Colonel Ilgar Mirzaev, Major Ahmedov Namig, Major Novruzov Anar, Ensign Zeynalli Ilgar, Ensign Babayev Yashar, Superintendent soldier Mustafazade Elchin.

An Azerbaijani civilian in Tovuz region’s Aghdam village, Aziz Azizov, was killed as a result of artillery shelling by the Armenian armed forces.

The cross-border fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan started on July 12 with Armenia's firing artillery at Azerbaijan's positions in the direction of Tovuz region. The attack killed four Azerbaijani servicemen and injured four others. Azerbaijan responded by destroying a stronghold, bombshells, vehicles and servicemen on the territory of the Armenia’s military unit using artillery, mortars and tanks on the night leading to July 13. The ministry said Armenia was hiding its casualties.

Earlier, today, the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry reported that Armenia's military and combat equipment for various purposes, command post, reserves in the depths of defense, and its forces were destroyed as a result of punitive measures undertaken to suppress Armenia's activity.

Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a conflict over Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region, which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France has been mediating the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict since the signing of the volatile cease-fire agreement in 1994. However, final peace deal has not been reached yet.

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