Azerbaijani army liberates 3 more villages from Armenia's occupation

By Burak Bir

ANKARA (AA) - The Azerbaijani army has liberated three more villages in the Khojavend region from Armenia's occupation, the country's president announced Friday.

"Azerbaijan’s glorious Army has liberated Khirmanjig, Agbulag and Akhullu villages of Khojavend district," Ilham Aliyev said on Twitter.

"Long live Azerbaijan’s Army! Karabakh is Azerbaijan!," he added.

On Thursday, Azerbaijan liberated the Arish village of the Fuzuli district, Doshulu village of the Jabrayil district, and also Edishe, Dudukchi, Edilli, Chiraguz villages of the of Khojavend district from Armenia's occupation.

- Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

The recent clashes erupted between the two countries on Sept. 27, and since then, Armenia has continued its attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces.

Azerbaijan's Prosecutor General's Office said on Friday that at least 47 civilians had been killed and 222 injured due to the fresh Armenian attacks.

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

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 to in 1994. Multiple UN resolutions, as well as international organizations, demand the withdrawal of the occupying forces.

Many world powers, including Russia, France, and the US, have urged a new cease-fire. Turkey, meanwhile, has supported Baku's right to self-defense and demanded the withdrawal of Armenia's occupying forces.

Some 20% of Azerbaijan's territory has remained under illegal Armenian occupation for nearly three decades.