Azerbaijani soldier injured when Armenian armed group opens fire in Karabakh

By Ruslan Rehimov

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AA) - An Azerbaijani soldier was wounded when an Armenian group opened fire in the western province of Agdam in Nagorno-Karabakh on Tuesday.

A group that was illegally present on liberated territories launched an armed assault on Azerbaijani soldiers near the village of Aliagali, according to a Defense Ministry statement.

The assault occurred at around 6 p.m. local time (1400GMT) on the way from a region guarded by Russian peacekeeping forces for the village.

The soldier, who was supervising road construction, was taken to a hospital.

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan 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.

In a conflict which erupted last September and ended in a Nov. 10 deal, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages from Armenia's nearly three-decade occupation.

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

A joint Turkish-Russian center was established to monitor the truce. Russian peacekeeping troops have also been deployed in the region.

*Writing by Dilan Pamuk in Ankara