Armed clashes continue in Nagorno-Karabakh
Azerbaijan's State Security Service had to conduct an " anti-terrorist operation" near the village of Hadrut in Nagorno-Karabakh, said Azerbaijan's State Security Service and the Ministry of Defense in a joint statement.
According to Azerbaijani officials, some Armenian armed groups remained in a wooded area in the northwestern part of Hadrut village in Azerbaijan's Khojavend District even after the ceasefire agreement took effect.
According to Azerbaijan, Armenia said that these armed groups got lost in a wooded area. Yerevan asked Russian peacekeepers to help withdraw them from that area. "Armenian armed groups have not left the territory, on the contrary, have established combat positions and in recent days have committed terrorist-provocative and sabotage actions," the statement reads.
In particular, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reports that on November 26, Armenians suddenly attacked Azerbaijani servicemen in the village of Sur in Khojavend district. As a result, three Azerbaijani soldiers were killed and two were wounded. Also, on December 8, another Azerbaijani soldier was killed.
"Given the above, the State Security Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan was forced to carry out an anti-terrorist operation in the area," Azerbaijan's State Security and Defense Ministry said.
Earlier, the Armenian Defense Ministry reported that the Azerbaijani armed forces violated the truce by attacking the villages of Hin Tager and Khtsaberd in the Hadrut district of Karabakh. As a result, six Armenian servicemen were injured, and Azerbaijan also suffered losses, the ministry said. Yerevan called Azerbaijan's actions a "provocation."