Armenia accuzes Azerbaijan of launching attacks in border region
Xinhua, April 2, 2016 Adjust font size:
Azerbaijan launched attacks in the Nagorno-Karabakh region along their borders on Friday night, using heavy weapons, tanks and artillery, according to the press service of the Armenian Defense Ministry on Saturday.
The Defense Ministry said that the Azerbaijani troops were repelled and sustained serious losses in the counter-attacks by the Armenian side.
It also said that an Azerbaijani MI-24 helicopter was shot down during the clashes.
A 12-year-old was reportedly killed in a missile attack by the Azerbaijani armed forces, and two other children were wounded.
On the same day, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry dismissed reports of an Azerbaijani helicopter having been downed by Armenian armed forces, as the two countries blamed each other for an escalation of tension along their borders.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a bitter dispute over the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh seized by Armenia-backed forces from Azerbaijan in 1991. Peace talks have been held since 1994 when a ceasefire was reached.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday urged parties in the conflict to "observe an immediate ceasefire and exercise restraint in order to prevent further casualties," according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Enditem