Azernews.Az

By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijan’s National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) continues operations on exploration of the country's territory, detecting unexploded ordnance (UXOs).

Recently, eight pieces of unexploded ordnance (UXOs) have been discovered in the territory of the Shirvan National Park in Azerbaijan’s Salyan region, ANAMA told Trend.

Thus, three unexploded missiles M-14 OF (140 mm caliber), two artillery shell BR-412 (100 mm), one artillery shell PBR-412 (100 mm), motor part of anti-tank rocket PG-7 and one artillery shell of 100-mm caliber were discovered and removed from the territory of Shirvan National Park. Moreover, an area of 9,000 square meters was checked.

In addition, one unexploded artillery shell OF-32 (100 mm) was found and defused in the water channel of Evoglu village in Agdam district. An area of 2,000 square meters was inspected here as well.

Overall from April 7 to October 10, the ANAMA experts viewed 646 houses and infields, three military units, five rural schools, two cemeteries, 30 farms, a medical center, a warehouse of scrap metal, a gravel pit, a reserve, territory of a winery, and acreages in Zardab, Tartar, Agjabadi, Agdam, Barda, Fizuli, Goranboy, Tovuz, Gazakh, Agstafa, Samukh, Goygol, Shamkir, Jalilabad, Ujar, Astara, Salyan regions, and in cities of Mingachevir, Sumgayit, Lankaran, Shirvan, Ganja and Baku.

As a result of the inspections, ANAMA discovered and defused 3,947 UXOs, 19 anti-personnel and 42 anti-tank mines.

Armenia broke out a lengthy war against Azerbaijan laying territorial claims on its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.

---

Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz