Azerbaijani civilian killed by Armenian mine left from occupation

By Ruslan Rehimov

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AA) - A mine explosion in the recently liberated Nagorno-Karabakh region killed an Azerbaijani civilian, an official statement said on Monday.

The mine was planted in Aghdam by Armenian troops during their nearly three-decade occupation.

According to the statement by Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General’s Office, the civilian in Aghdam’s village of Tagibeyli stepped on the mine while doing agricultural work.

Landmines are a grave violation of essential norms and principles of international humanitarian law, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions.

As many as 33 Azerbaijani citizens, including seven soldiers and 26 civilians, have been killed and 139 injured since November 2020 – the end of the Karabakh conflict – due to mines laid by Armenia during the occupation.

- Liberation of Karabakh

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

When new clashes erupted on Sept. 27, 2020, the Armenian army launched attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violated several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.

During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages from the nearly three-decade occupation.

Last Nov. 10, the two countries signed a Russian-brokered agreement to end the fighting and work toward a comprehensive resolution.

On Jan. 11, the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a pact to develop economic ties and infrastructure to benefit the entire region. It included the establishment of a trilateral working group on Karabakh.

The cease-fire is seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia, whose armed forces withdrew in line with the agreement.

Prior to this victory, about 20% of Azerbaijan's territory had been under illegal occupation for nearly 30 years.