Europe

Fighting Between Armenia And Azerbaijan Continues

Azerbaijan says decades-old dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh territory includes attacks on dense residential areas, though Armenia denies the claim.

Fighting Between Armenia And Azerbaijan Continues
ArmGov PAN Photo / Areg Balayan / AP
SMS

Fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan continued Sunday with each side accusing the other of targeting civilians. The two sides have released conflicting death tallies for civilians and soldiers, with estimates ranging from over 100 to thousands.

Azerbaijan claims Armenian forces attacked its second-largest city of Ganja Sunday using heavy artillery and has vowed to retaliate. It also accused them of using internationally-banned cluster bombs. The country's foreign ministry says one civilian was killed and four wounded in the attack that targeted dense residential areas. Armenia's Defense Ministry says it hadn't opened any fire on Azerbaijan.

The ongoing violence is centered on the disputed territory Nagorno-Karabakh, which is legally part of Azerbaijan but has been controlled by Armenians for the past three decades. Earlier Sunday, Armenia had accused Azerbaijan of targeting civilians in the territory's main city.

Armenia says Azerbaijan kicked off the fighting last weekend by launching missiles, while Azerbaijan says Armenia started the conflict by shelling civilian areas. 

Armenia's prime minister said Turkey is using American-made F-16 jets to support Azerbaijan. On Saturday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev criticized international mediators who have been trying to ease the tension for decades. He says he'll stop the war when Armenia leaves.