Azernews.Az

By Vafa Ismayilova

An expert from the Mine Action Agency has said that the Armenians set mines in such a way that from time to time Azerbaijani sappers are blown up during demining and receive serious injuries, Trend reported.

Rauf Mirzayev, an employee of the Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency, noted that the territories liberated from Armenia's occupation are literally stuffed with mines. In some places, the Armenians set one mine over another.

"Therefore, mined areas are dangerous, and specialists there face difficulties. Several months ago, a 38-year-old agency employee was blown up by a mine during the demining of the Barda-Aghdam railway. He lost his leg and lost his sight," Mirzayev said in an interview with Trend.

Some 21 Azerbaijani citizens, including 14 civilians were killed and 87 citizens, 16 civilians were injured in mine explosions in liberated lands since the signing of the Karabakh peace deal on November 10, 2020.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on February 26 described Armenia’s failure to provide the maps of mined areas in liberated lands as the main difficulty for Azerbaijani IPDs to return to their homes. He said that this can also be considered to be a war crime as several servicemen and civilians were killed in mine blasts on liberated territories after the war.