Azerbaijani authorities have attributed these incidents to "sabotage groups" operating in the area.

Security services reported that two individuals met their untimely demise early in the morning in the Khodzhavenskiy district. Tragically, four police officers en route to the scene also perished when their vehicle struck "a mine laid on a tunnel road under construction by illegal Armenian armed groups."

An ongoing investigation is in progress to identify and apprehend those responsible for these acts of terror, as confirmed by the state security service.

This unfortunate incident has further added to the grim toll of lives claimed by landmines, previously laid by Armenian forces following the Second Karabakh War, bringing the total casualties to 61.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev estimates that the arduous task of demining these territories will span nearly three decades and require an investment of $25 billion.

The ongoing standoff between Azerbaijan and Armenia persists despite ongoing negotiations for a long-term peace agreement. Just a day earlier, Baku issued a demand for Armenia to promptly withdraw its armed forces from Karabakh and dismantle the military and administrative infrastructure of the self-declared regime in the region.

The Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict over Karabakh, rooted in ethnic and territorial disputes, has a tumultuous history dating back to the early 20th century. It erupted into full-scale warfare in the early 1990s following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, resulting in the loss of an estimated 30,000 lives and displacing over a million people.

A ceasefire was established in 1994, but the conflict remained unresolved, with numerous ceasefire violations and skirmishes over the subsequent decades.

In 2020, the conflict flared up once again, culminating in a 44-day war. This was the deadliest phase of the conflict since the 1990s, claiming over 6,000 lives. Azerbaijan emerged victorious, regaining control of seven surrounding districts of Nagorno-Karabakh and a significant portion of the region itself.

The war concluded with the signing of a trilateral ceasefire agreement involving Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia. The agreement also saw the deployment of Russian peacekeepers to Nagorno-Karabakh. However, despite the ceasefire, the underlying conflict remains unresolved, and a final settlement remains elusive. Concerns also persist regarding the safety of Armenian civilians residing in Nagorno-Karabakh, now under Azerbaijani control.

The Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict over Karabakh stands as a complex and enduring challenge, underscoring the need for comprehensive understanding and concerted efforts to achieve a lasting peace. (ILKHA)