Azerbaijan seizes Armenian arms, ammunition, vehicles

BAKU, Azerbaijan

The Azerbaijani Armed Forces on Friday seized a large amount of weapons, ammunition and vehicles belonging to the Armenian military in an operation to liberate its territory under occupation.

Armenian soldiers fled their positions in the face of the Azerbaijani advance, leaving behind their weapons and military vehicles.

Anadolu Agency journalists on the ground at the border region viewed some of the seized vehicles, ammunition and weapons.

Among the seized military vehicles were Russian-made 2019-model Ural trucks.

While most of the trucks were still usable, some bore marks from the clashes.

Most of the weapons and ammunition, including machine guns, grenades, rocket launchers and bullets of various firearms, were also Russian-made.

The Azerbaijani forces also seized some documents belonging to the Armenian army.

Border clashes first broke out last Sunday when Armenian forces targeted Azerbaijani civilian settlements and military positions, leading to casualties.

Azerbaijan's parliament declared a state of war in some of its cities and regions following Armenia's border violations and attacks in occupied Upper Karabakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh.

On Monday, Azerbaijan declared partial military mobilization amid the clashes.

Upper Karabakh conflict

Relations between the two former Soviet nations have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Upper Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan.

Four UN Security Council and two UN General Assembly resolutions, as well as many international organizations, demand the withdrawal of the occupying forces.

The OSCE Minsk Group -- co-chaired by France, Russia and the US -- was formed in 1992 to find a peaceful solution to the conflict, but to no avail. A cease-fire, however, was agreed upon in 1994.

France, Russia and NATO, among others, have urged an immediate halt to clashes in the occupied region.

* Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev from Ankara