Azerbaijan Retakes More Villages From Armenian Occupation – Aliyev

The Azerbaijani army has liberated eight more villages in the Upper Karabakh region from Armenia’s occupation.

“Victorious Armed Forces of Azerbaijan have liberated Chaprand, Haji Isaqli, Gosha Bulag villages of Jabrayil, Dere Gilatagh and Boyuk Gilatagh villages of Zangilan, Ishigli, Muradkhanli, and Milanli villages of Gubadli. Long live Azerbaijan’s Armed Forces! Karabakh is Azerbaijan!” President Ilhan Aliyev said on Twitter.

Armenian army losses

Armenia’s army has continued to suffer losses amid its attacks on Azerbaijani soldiers and settlement areas in various points of the front despite the ceasefire.

“During the day on November 1 and night on November 2, Armenian armed forces fired at the positions of Azerbaijan Army units and our human settlements in different directions of the front using various weapons, including artillery and missiles,” the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry said in a written statement on Monday.

It said the clashes were mainly in the Aghdam, Khojavend, and Gubadli direction.

“During the day and night, a large number of enemy forces, 4 – BM-21 “Grad” MLRS, 10 – different types of howitzers, 3 – trucks loaded with ammunition, and 5 – other auto vehicles were destroyed and wrecked in different directions of the front,” the ministry said.

It added that the Armenian forces were forced to retreat after suffering losses in personnel and military vehicles and they also faced a shortage of weapons, ammunition, and food supplies.

The ministry stressed that the front is under the control of the Azerbaijani army.

READ MORE: Azerbaijan to fight ‘to the end’ if Karabakh talks yield no results: Aliyev

Third Su-25 downed

Azerbaijan shot down another Armenian Su-25 fighter jet, according to the country’s Defence Ministry on Monday, the third Su-25 to be downed in the last four days.

In a statement, the ministry said the Su-25 attack aircraft had launched airstrikes on Azerbaijani positions in the Zangilan region on Sunday when it was shot down.

In the meantime, Azerbaijan’s army on Sunday destroyed a military convoy belonging to the Armenian army.

The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry said the movement of the Armenian army convoy in the direction of Khojavend was detected around 5 pm local time (1300 GMT) on October 31.

Civilian killings

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Upper Karabakh, or Nagorno-Karabakh, an internationally recognised territory of Azerbaijan.

Four UN Security Council resolutions and two from the UN General Assembly, as well as international organisations, demand the “immediate complete and unconditional withdrawal of the occupying forces” from the occupied Azerbaijani territory.

About 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory – including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions – has been under illegal Armenian occupation for nearly three decades.

A ceasefire, however, was agreed to in 1994.

Fresh clashes erupted on September 27, and since then Armenia has repeatedly attacked Azerbaijani civilians and forces, even violating three humanitarian ceasefires since October 10.

While world powers have called for a sustainable ceasefire, Turkey has supported Baku’s right to self-defence and demanded the withdrawal of Armenia’s occupying forces.

Multiple UN resolutions also call for the withdrawal of the invading forces.

READ MORE: Violations reported as new ceasefire comes into force in Nagorno-Karabakh