10 Azerbaijanis killed, 30 wounded in Armenia attacks

By Ruslan Rehimov

BAKU (AA) - At least 10 Azerbaijani people have been killed and 30 others wounded in the attacks of Armenia over the past two days, officials said.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry and prosecutors said in a joint statement that the Armenian forces attacked civilian settlements with heavy weapons between Sept. 27-29.

Among the fatalities were children, the statement noted.

Border clashes broke out early Sunday when Armenian forces targeted Azerbaijani civilian settlements and military positions, leading to casualties. Azerbaijan's parliament declared a state of war in some of its cities and regions following Armenia's border violations and attacks in the occupied Upper Karabakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh region.

On Monday, Azerbaijan declared partial military mobilization amid the clashes.

- Upper Karabakh conflict

Relations between the two former Soviet nations have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Upper Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan.

Four UN Security Council and two UN General Assembly resolutions, as well as many international organizations, demand the withdrawal of the occupying forces.

The OSCE Minsk Group -- co-chaired by France, Russia and the US -- was formed in 1992 to find a peaceful solution to the conflict, but to no avail. A cease-fire, however, was agreed upon in 1994.

France, Russia and NATO, among others, have urged an immediate halt to clashes in the occupied region.