Azerbaijani side used firearms in Stepanakert suburbs
YEREVAN, September 21. /ARKA/. The Azerbaijani side violated the ceasefire agreement reached on September 20 and used firearms in the suburbs of Stepanakert, the Nagorno-Karabakh Information Center reported.
"Concrete steps are being taken to resolve the situation with the involvement of interested parties. We urge citizens not to panic and follow only official news," the Center said in a statement.
On September 19 Azerbaijan launched an "anti-terror" operation in the region demanding that Karabakh's forces raise a white flag, disband their armed forces and dissolve their "illegal regime".
After 24-hour fierce fighting the ethnic Armenian authorities in Stepanakert gave in. Under the terms of the truce, outlined by Azerbaijan and the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent on the ground, Karabakh armed forces must commit to being completely disbanded as well as disarmed.
According to the Nagorno-Karabakh human rights defender’s office, more than 10 thousand people have been evacuated from the communities seized by Azerbaijanis, several thousand cannot find their missing relatives -women, children and elderly people.
As of 21:30 September 20, the number of casualties stood at 200, including children, the number of wounded at more than 400.
Azerbaijani officials and Karabakh's Armenian representatives had the first meeting today for "re-integration" talks in the Azerbaijani town of Yevlakh. -0-
