02.04.16 - The two children, wounded in Azerbaijani shelling of a school yard in the city of Martuni in Artsakh Republic, currently hospitalized in Republican Medical Center in Stepanakert

Azerbaijan used Grad rocket launcher to bomb Karabakh school: hospital

April 2, 2016 - 14:40 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - On April 2, at around 8:30 am, Azerbaijani army used BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher in the Martuni direction of the contact line, killing 12-year-old Vaghinak Grigoryan and wounding two more children.

In a conversation with PanARMENIAN.Net a source from the hospital in Karabakh's capital, Stepanakert, said the children were killed and wounded when a school was bombarded by Azerbaijan.

The 12-year-old boy and one of the wounded kids were brothers.

"One of the wounded kids, 12-year-old Vardan Andreasyan was hospitalized with compound fracture of femur caused by multiple shrapnel fragments, as well as traumatic and hemorrhagic shock," the source said. "The child has been operated on, everything is fine now. Gevorg Grigoryan has suffered an injury of soft tissues in the thigh; surgical treatment has been performed.”

On the night of April 1-2, Azerbaijani armed forces initiated overt offensive operations in the southern, southeastern and northeastern directions of the line of contact with Nagorno Karabakh, using artillery, armored fighting vehicles and air force equipment among other weapons.

Aside from the battles on the frontline, the rival has also carried out artillery strikes on civilian settlements and places of permanent deployment of several military units.

On April 2, at around 8:30 am, the rival used BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher in the Martuni direction of the contact line. 12-year-old Vaghinak Grigoryan was killed in the shelling, two more children were wounded.

Earleir, the Nagorno Karabakh special forces identified an Azerbaijani subversive group near the Levonarkh settlement and threw the saboterus back to their positions.

According to Armenia’s Defense Ministry, the rival troops retreated after suffering several human losses.

Military operations are currently underway.

Karabakh troops thwart Azerbaijani subversive attack

The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan

The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan broke out as result of the ethnic cleansing launched by the Azeri authorities in the final years of the Soviet Union. The Karabakh War was fought from 1991 (when the Nagorno Karabakh Republic was proclaimed) to 1994 (when a ceasefire was sealed by Armenia, NKR and Azerbaijan). Most of Nagorno Karabakh and a security zone consisting of 7 regions are now under control of NKR defense army. Armenia and Azerbaijan are holding peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group up till now.