The Azerbaijani army has destroyed the third Khojavend motorized rifle regiment of the Armenian armed forces, stationed in Khojavand region, the Azerbaijani defense ministry stated Tuesday.
“As a result of the strikes by the Azerbaijani army, the 3rd Khojavend motorized rifle regiment of the Armenian armed forces, stationed in Khojavand region, was destroyed," chief of the press service of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry Col. Vagif Dargahli told the Azertac state news agency.
“As a result, the Armenian side suffered heavy losses; the regiment was completely defeated,” Dargahli noted.
He added that the command of the Armenian army appealed to everyone to deliver vehicles for the evacuation of the dead and wounded.
Border clashes broke out early Sunday when Armenian forces targeted Azerbaijani civilian settlements and military positions, leading to casualties.
Since then, tensions have continued to escalate with Turkey firmly standing with Azerbaijan.
The European Union, Russia and NATO, among others, have urged an immediate halt to clashes along the frontier.
The Nagorno-Karabakh region, internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, has been controlled by Armenian separatists since conflict broke out following the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Though a cease-fire was agreed on in 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia still regularly accuse each other of attacks around Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Azerbaijani-Armenian border.
There are four U.N. Security Council (UNSC) and two U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) resolutions as well as innumerable calls by international organizations that demand the withdrawal of the occupational Armenian forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and seven other occupied regions of Azerbaijan.
Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh declared martial law and mobilized their militaries Sunday, while Azerbaijan imposed martial law and a curfew in large cities.
