Azerbaijan and Armenia are reporting more casualties as the violent flare-up between the two Caucus nations continued for a second day.
On Monday, forces tied to the two countries reportedly exchanged rocket and artillery fire in the escalating battle that began on Sunday. The fighting is raising fears of a wider conflict in the region and the possibility that Turkey, which backs Azerbaijan and Russia (which has a mutual defense agreement with Armenia), could become involved.
The conflict is centered around the breakaway enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, which, although located in Azerbaijan, is predominately composed of ethnic Armenians.
On Monday, authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh announced that an additional 27 of its soldiers had been killed in the fighting. That adds to the 31 soldiers that the enclave reported to have been killed on Sunday, according to Sky News. Authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh also said more than 100 troops were wounded in combat on Sunday.
While the Azeri side has not officially confirmed how many soldiers have been killed in Monday’s fighting, the country’s general prosecutor said that two Azeri civilians were killed on Monday and five were killed on Sunday.
Both sides have released much higher figures of how many people they claim have been killed by their own forces, with Azerbaijan claiming to have killed some 500 Armenian troops and Armenia claiming to have killed some 200 Azeri soldiers, according to the New York Times.
The conflict is the worst flare-up since 2016, when some 200 people were killed in clashes between Azerbaijan and the ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. A war between the regional powers ended in 1994, with a Russia-brokered ceasefire after thousands were killed on both sides of the war.
On Monday, both Azerbaijan and Armenia said they had mobilized additional forces and declared martial law in certain areas, according to the BBC. So far, both Turkey and Russia have called for a peaceful resolution to the newest flare-up, although a national security adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan released a statement placing the onus on Armenia, a longtime foe of Turkey.
“We believe this conflict can be resolved through peaceful negotiations, but the Armenian side has shown no interest so far,” the statement read. “We will continue to stand by the people of Azerbaijan and the government of Azerbaijan against any kind of aggression by Armenia or any other country.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitri Peskov said on Monday that his country is “not talking now about military options.”
It is unclear exactly why fighting began on Sunday or who provoked the clash, with Azerbaijan accusing Armenia of firing artillery across the border and Armenia claiming it was the victim of unprovoked Azeri aggression.
“Azerbaijani units carry out combat operations to destroy the enemy and liberate our occupied lands,” Azerbaijan’s military said in a Monday statement. Mayis Barkhudarov, an Azeri general, was quoted as saying: “The Army Corps under my command will fight to the last drop of blood to completely destroy the enemy and win.”
The United States is urging both parties to move toward peace and avoid further fighting. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus has condemned the escalating violence in the “strongest terms.”
“The United States believes participation in the escalating violence by external parties would be deeply unhelpful and only exacerbate regional tensions,” she said in a Sunday statement, adding that “the United States remains committed to helping the sides achieve a peaceful and sustainable settlement to the conflict.”
