Azerbaijan says number of killed, wounded by Armenia-planted landmines rises to 333

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Azerbaijan on Friday said that the number of those killed and wounded by landmines planted by Armenia since the Second Karabakh War has risen to 333, after one person was killed and another wounded earlier in the day.

“Armenia-planted landmines continue to kill and maim Azerbaijanis. Today 1 civilian was killed & 1 wounded, raising the toll of victims to 333,” said a statement by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry on X.

The statement further said that the international community should not “turn a blind eye to this threat” and has to urge Armenia to release accurate maps of the minefields.

Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Most of the territory was liberated by Azerbaijan during a war in the fall of 2020, which ended after a Russian-brokered peace agreement and also opened the door to normalization.

This year on Sept. 19, the Azerbaijani army initiated an anti-terrorism operation in Karabakh to establish constitutional order in the region, after which illegal separatist forces in the region surrendered.

Azerbaijan, having now established full sovereignty in the region, has reiterated its call on the Armenian population in Karabakh to become part of Azerbaijani society.