Azerbaijan to shell all military positions of Armenian army

Azerbaijan's armed forces located on the line of contact were ordered to open a retaliatory fire on all military positions of Armenian army on the frontline, spokesman of Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry told local media here Friday.

"The Azerbaijani armed forces have been instructed not to shell the settlements located on the occupied territories," he said, adding that the Azerbaijani army will shell only military points of Armenian army.

He alleged that starting April 26, Armenia has violated the ceasefire and shelled Azerbaijani settlements using mortars, howitzers and BM-21 multiple rocket launchers.

Two Azerbaijani civilians were killed and seven others were severely wounded in an attack by Armenian forces in several villages of Terter and Aghdam regions near the line of contact overnight Thursday.

The Armenian attack has also damaged 84 houses, including schools, private houses, electrical substation and cattle farms in these regions. Some of them have been completely destroyed. The Azerbaijan's Aghdam region was open to journalists Friday.

Heavy fighting broke out on April 2 between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region.

The clash lasted several days and left more than 70 soldiers dead on both sides before a ceasefire was agreed in Moscow on April 5.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a bitter dispute over the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh seized by Armenia-backed forces from Azerbaijan in 1991. Peace talks have been held since 1994 when a cease-fire was reached.

Firefights have been frequently reported recently between the two countries along their shared border and across Karabakh's volatile front line.

Source: XINHUA