Officials in the disputed ethnic Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh reported on Sunday that 16 troops have been killed and over 100 injured while fighting against Azeri forces, according to the Defense Ministry in Yerevan.
The casualty report was relayed by Armenia after intense clashes on the border between Azerbaijan and soldiers from Nagorno-Karabakh. Non-combatants have been also drawn into the violence on both sides. Azerbaijan said 14 civilians were injured amid the fighting while the Armenian side reported two civilians killed and dozens injured.
Nagorno-Karabakh, a predominantly Armenian region, legally located inside Azerbaijan, split from Baku three decades ago, with Yerevan backing its bid for independence. The Azeri side accused Armenia of attacking its forces and forcing its hand in launching a counter offensive operation. Yerevan rejected the allegation and said Baku broke a ceasefire agreement in an unprovoked act of aggression.
There are conflicting reports about the situation on the ground. Both sides said their opponent has suffered serious damage in the skirmishes while denying suffering casualties of their own.
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