Azernews.Az

By Vugar Khalilov

The Azerbaijan army’s engineer-sapper units have defused another batch of Armenia-laid landmines in Kalbajar and Dashkasan districts, close to the state border, Azernews reports, citing the Defense Ministry.

On October 8-10, 63 PMN-E, 89 PMN-2 anti-personnel mines, as well as an OZM-72E anti-personnel fragmentation mine recently discovered in Kalbajar and Dashkasan districts were defused in line with safety rules, the ministry said.

Engineering support initiatives, as well as demining activities, are underway to clear liberated lands and supply routes of Armenia-planted mines, it added.

On October 7, the engineer-sapper units of the Azerbaijani army defused some 138 mines planted by an Armenian sabotage group in the same districts.

Earlier, the ministry said that under international humanitarian law, the 1997 Ottawa Convention outlaws the production, stockpiling, transfer, and use of anti-personnel mines. Despite this, a large number of mines produced in Armenia have been discovered in the liberated districts following the 44-day war in 2020.

Anti-personnel mines, which are laid with the intention of causing human losses, pose a significant threat to the lives of both civilians and military personnel, the ministry added.

To recap, units of the Armenian armed forces carried out large-scale provocations along the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border in the Dashkasan, Kalbajar, and Lachin directions on the night of September 12 leading to 13. The Armenian sabotage groups mined land and supply roads, linking the positions of the Azerbaijani army units in different directions, taking advantage of the area's steep topography and existing ravine gaps.

In the same vein, the Azerbaijani Mine Action Agency has neutralized some 604 mines and munitions on October 3-8, Azernews reports, citing the agency.

During the demining operations, the agency discovered 92 anti-personnel, 54 anti-tank mines, and 458 unexploded ordnances in Tartar, Aghdam, Fuzuli, Shusha, Gubadli, Jabrayil, and Zangilan districts, the report added.

A 316-ha-area was cleared of mines and unexploded ordnances during the reported period.

Armenia spared no efforts to plant land mines on Azerbaijani territory, not only during the 30 years of occupation but also just before days of leaving Azerbaijani lands as envisaged in the trilateral statement in order to cause human casualties.

Armenia deliberately and constantly planted mines on Azerbaijani territories, in violation of the 1949 Geneva Convention, thereby being a major threat to regional peace, security, and cooperation.

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