Mine blast injures two separatists in Karabakh under temporary control of Russian peacekeepers
On December 18, two members of the illegal Armenian armed formations were seriously injured in a mine blast in Khojavand District, under the temporary control of the Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh, Azernews reports.
They were hospitalized with severe injuries. One of them, called Samvel, received multiple shrapnel wounds in the face; his lower limb was amputated. Another one received numerous shrapnel wounds in the head and knees.
Armenia planted land mines in Azerbaijani territory, not only during the 30-year-long occupation but also just days before abandoning the Azerbaijani lands, as envisaged in the trilateral declaration, to cause human casualties.
Mines of different types planted by Armenia in the formerly occupied territories continue to endanger human lives in the liberated lands. Civilians and military personnel are frequently maimed or killed as a result of mine explosions in Azerbaijan's liberated regions.
Armenia deliberately and constantly planted mines on Azerbaijani territories, in violation of the 1949 Geneva Convention, thereby being a major threat to regional peace, security, and cooperation.
Addressing the 29th session of the OSCE Ministerial Council on December 2, 2022, Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said that Armenia’s failure to provide Azerbaijan with full and accurate mine maps of all liberated territories brings new deaths and injuries, noting that around 55 percent of all mine incidents took place in areas, with respect to which no minefield record was shared by Armenia.
“Sadly, after the signing of the trilateral statement in November 2020, 268 persons have become mine victims. 45 persons, including 35 civilians, were killed. Recently, 350 landmines were detected in the territory of Azerbaijan. All of them were produced in Armenia in 2021. In total, 2,728 landmines, made in Armenia in 2021, have been found in sovereign territories of Azerbaijan. These mines were transferred through the Lachin road. This is a blatant abuse of this road, which was envisaged for humanitarian purposes only,” the official shared.
---
Sabina Mammadli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SabinaMmdl
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz