Azerbaijani civilian killed in Armenian land mine blast
By Vafa Ismayilova
Azerbaijani civilian Zabil Babayev, who stepped on a mine on the territory of liberated Fuzuli region and was seriously injured on January 1, later died in hospital of injuries that he had recived, the Prosecutor-General's Office has reported.
The Prosecutor-General's Office launched a criminal case into the incident under Azerbaijani Criminal Code Articles 100.2 (planning, preparation, initiation, or conduct of aggressive war), 116.0.6 (violation of international humanitarian law during an armed conflict) and other articles.
The Prosecutor-General's Office is currently conducting an intensive investigation into the case.
On January 1, in their joint statement, the Azerbaijani Interior Ministry and the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) warned all citizens against visiting liberated territories given that those areas, which came under the enemy fire during the war, were contaminated with mines, unexploded ordnance, explosive devices and explosive remnants of the war. In this regard, citizens are temporarily prohibited from entering those areas until safe travel is possible. The agencies in question asked citizens not to touch unknown and suspicious objects and immediately inform the Interior Ministry's relevant 102 Service - Call Center.
On December 22, 2020 the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said that 6 civilians and 6 military servicemen were killed and 7 civilians and 14 military servicemen were injured in landmine blasts starting November 10.
In mid-December, 136 servicemen of the Turkish armed forces arrived in Azerbaijan to help demine territories recently liberated from the Armenian occupation. The first group of Turkish sappers arrived in early December.
A Moscow-brokered ceasefire deal that Baku and Yerevan signed on November 10 brought an end to six weeks of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani army declared a victory against the Armenian troops. The signed agreement obliged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it has occupied since early 1990s.
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