At least 30 soldiers have been killed in fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, officials of both countries said, each blaming the other for violence. Azerbaijan said in a statement on Saturday that Armenian forces had killed 12 of its soldiers and shot down a helicopter in the fighting, which broke out overnight.
said that 18 of his country’s soldiers had been killed and 35 wounded, not specifying if the soldiers belonged to Yerevan-backed separatist forces in Karabakh or Armenia’s armed forces.
“Active combat is currently under way,” Armenian Defence Ministry spokesperson Artsrun Hovhannisyan said on Facebook. “The Armenian Army has launched a counter-attack. There are victims on both sides but the opposing side has sustained huge losses in manpower and equipment. An [Azerbaijani] helicopter has been shot down.”
Azerbaijan said its forces had taken “two strategic heights and a village” in Karabakh. The Armenian Defence Ministry said Azerbaijani troops started an offensive with tanks and artillery. Azerbaijan denied those allegations, saying its soldiers were reacting to heavy attacks from the Armenian side.
