Azerbaijan shelling Karabakh’s capital, civilian settlements

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Azerbaijani military has been shelling the civilian settlements of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), including the capital Stepanakert, spokesperson for the Karabakh President Vahram Poghosyan said Sunday, September 27 morning.

Poghosyan’s comments came after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan revealed that Azerbaijan has launched an attack on Karabakh.

The spokesman urged the public to find shelters and not leave their homes as the shelling continues.

“At the same time, we declare that we will retaliate proportionately, "the entire responsibility for the situation rests with the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan, personally with [President] Ilham Aliyev."

Armenian Defense Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanyan said earlier that the Karabakh army has downed two helicopters and three drones of the Azerbaijani army.

Stepanyan said the Azerbaijani military has launched an air and missile attack on Artsakh.

The last major escalation on the contact line of Nagorno-Karabakh was in April 2016 when Azerbaijan resumed hostilities against Karabakh. Throughout the four-day military campaign, 64 soldiers, 13 volunteers and four civilians, including a child, were killed and more than 120 people were wounded on the Armenian side. According to information from the U.S. Department of State, Azerbaijan lost more than 270 people in total.