Armenia and Azerbaijan fight over disputed Nagorno-Karabakh: All you need to know

Team Udayavani, Sep 28, 2020, 1:16 PM IST

Violent clash erupted between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over the disputed separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh on Sunday.

A top territorial official said 16 people were killed and more than 100 wounded, while Azerbaijan’s president said his military has suffered losses

Armenia said Azerbaijan had carried out an air and artillery attack on Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan said it had responded to Armenian shelling and that it had seized control of up to seven villages, but Nagorno-Karabakh denied it

According to Indian Express, Conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region began following the breakdown of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s and lasted till approximately 1994, with both Armenia and Azerbaijan claiming this strategic territory.

At that time, the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh had held a referendum boycotted by Azerbaijan where the people chose independence over joining either of the two countries.

As reported by BBC, Nagorno-Karabakh is a mountainous region of about 4,400 sq km (1,700 sq miles). It is traditionally inhabited by Christian Armenians and Muslim Turks

Internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, but majority of population is ethnic Armenian