YEREVAN, October 13. /TASS/. The Armed Forces of Azerbaijan launched an offensive at three or four directions in Nagorno-Karabakh, battles raged along the entire line of contact throughout the day, Armenian Defense Ministry Representative Artsrun Hovhannisyan told reporters on Tuesday.
"Today, the armed forces of Azerbaijan launched an offensive in 3-4 directions, and battles continued throughout the day. Particularly intense fighting occurred in the northern sector. It was probably among the most difficult battles in this war," Hovhannisyan said.
Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The area experienced flare-ups of violence in the summer of 2014, in April 2016 and this past July. Azerbaijan and Armenia have imposed martial law and launched mobilization efforts. Both parties to the conflict have reported casualties, among them civilians.
At the talks held at Russia’s initiative in Moscow, Baku and Yerevan agreed a ceasefire, which came into effect at 12:00 local time on October 10 for humanitarian reasons in order to exchange detainees and the bodies of those killed in the fighting. Shortly after noon the sides traded blame for violating the ceasefire agreement.
The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up, but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1992-1994, tensions boiled over and exploded into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and seven adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them.