Azerbaijan liberates Jabrayil town from Armenian occupation

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) - Azerbaijan’s armed forces have liberated another town from the Armenian occupation, the Turkish National Defense Ministry announced on Sunday.

"According to the information obtained from reliable Azerbaijani sources; after the villages of Buyuk Mercanli, Maralyan and Sheybey, the Azerbaijani army also liberated from occupation the city of Jabrayil, which was of critical importance in the Karabakh region."

The operations launched by Azerbaijan’s armed forces with an aim to reclaim occupied territories continues amid Armenia's attacks on civilian settlements, security sources said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Border clashes broke out last Sunday when Armenian forces targeted Azerbaijani civilian settlements and military positions, leading to casualties.

- Upper Karabakh conflict

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

Multiple UN 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.

Many world powers including Russia, France, and the US have urged an immediate cease-fire.