BAKU – On Saturday, Azerbaijan accused Karabakh Armenians of intentionally setting homes ablaze to prevent them from falling into the hands of advancing Azerbaijani forces after Baku claimed control over the disputed enclave.

The Azerbaijani defense ministry posted a 34-second video on the X platform (formerly Twitter), featuring low-resolution aerial images showing several small fires.

The defense ministry stated, “Armenian residents set houses on fire en masse in Aghdara.”

The town of Aghdara had been under separatist control until Azerbaijan’s swift offensive into the region forced the rebels to seek peace and disarm this week.

Armenian and separatist officials have not yet responded to these allegations.

During the six-week war in 2020, some villagers set fire to their homes before fleeing to Armenia after Azerbaijan gained control over significant parts of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of predominantly Muslim Azerbaijan. However, its status has been a subject of dispute for centuries.

Christian Armenian separatists took control of the region at the end of a brutal post-Soviet war in the 1990s, a conflict that claimed tens of thousands of lives.

In the decades that followed, there were sporadic outbreaks of violence and allegations of widespread human rights abuses.

#BREAKING #Azerbaijan #Armenia Azerbaijan published footage claiming residents of Martakert are burning their homes and leaving the area. pic.twitter.com/ETUCO21tFs

— The National Independent (@NationalIndNews) September 23, 2023

Source: With Agencies