Fighting breaks out between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan have broken out over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

People attend a meeting in Yerevan, Armenia to recruit military volunteers after Armenian authorities declared martial law and mobilised its male population following clashes with Azerbaijan [Melik Baghdasaryan/Photolure via Reuters]

Fighting erupted early this morning moments after Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made a public outcry to his people to “get ready to defend our sacred homeland.“

Prime Minister Pashinyan’s remarks were followed by a series of military attacks on Azerbaijan soil that left tanks, military helicopters, and homes destroyed.

According to Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian military action inflected military and civilian “losses.”

Azerbaijan is now in a state of martial law as troops retaliate to what they describe is Armenian aggression. President Aliyev went as far to describe Armenian’s actions as a “declaration of war.”

So far, Azerbaijani troops have responded by killing 16 Armenian soldiers. Meanwhile, Armenia’s government alleges that Azerbaijan also targeted and killed civilians, including young children.

The international community is urging both to end the fighting and head to the negotiation table for peace talks, for the sake of innocent civilians.

By: Niza Nondo