2010 Nagorno-Karabakh skirmish
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Nagorno-Karabakh skirmish was a scattered exchange of gunfire that took place on February 18 on the line of contact dividing Azerbaijani and the Karabakh Armenian military forces
Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army
The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Defense Army is the formal defense force of the unrecognized but de-facto independent Nagorno-Karabakh Republic...

. Azerbaijan accused the Armenian forces of firing on the Azerbaijani positions near Tap Qaraqoyunlu
Tap Qaraqoyunlu
Tap Qaraqoyunlu is a village and municipality in the Goranboy Rayon of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 2,415. The municipality consists of the villages of Tap Qaraqoyunlu and Tap....

, Qızıloba
Qiziloba, Tartar
Qızıloba is a village in the Tartar Rayon of Azerbaijan. The village is on the cease-fire line between the armed forces of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and those of Azerbaijan. There have been allegations of cease fire violations in the village's vicinity....

, Qapanlı, Yusifcanlı
Yusifcanli
Yusifcanlı is a village in the Agdam Rayon of Azerbaijan. The village is on the cease-fire line between the armed forces of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and those of Azerbaijan. There have been allegations of cease fire violations in the village's vicinity....

 and Cavahirli
Cavahirli
Cavahirli is a village in the Agdam Rayon of Azerbaijan....

 villages, as well as in uplands of Agdam Rayon with small arms fire including snipers. As a result, three Azerbaijani soldiers were killed and one wounded.

The skirmish became the second deadliest ceasefire violation since 1994
Bishkek Protocol
Bishkek Protocol is a provisional ceasefire agreement, signed by representatives of Republic of Armenia , unrecognized Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh , Republic of Azerbaijan and Russia's representative to the CSCE Minsk Group Vladimir Kazimirov on May 5, 1994...

, after the 2008 Mardakert skirmishes
2008 Mardakert skirmishes
The 2008 Mardakert skirmishes began on March 4 after the 2008 Armenian election protests. It involved the heaviest fighting between ethnic Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh since the 1994 ceasefire after the Nagorno-Karabakh War.Armenian sources accused...

.

The skirmish

The skirmish embraced two regions in Nagorno-Karabakh (Tartar Rayon, Agdam Rayon) and one region out of it (Goranboy Rayon). Azerbaijani sources claim that on 13:00 local time the Karabakh Armenian military fired from Talysh
Talish, Nagorno-Karabakh
Talısh is a village in Tartar Rayon of Azerbaijan. It has been under Armenian control since the 1994 ceasefire....

 towards the Azerbaijani positions in Tap Qaraqoyunlu
Tap Qaraqoyunlu
Tap Qaraqoyunlu is a village and municipality in the Goranboy Rayon of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 2,415. The municipality consists of the villages of Tap Qaraqoyunlu and Tap....

. Accordingly, at 15:00 Armenian troops allegedly opened fire from Agdam Rayon, killing one Azeri soldier. After some time the shooting achieved a large-scale character and continued until evening. According to Azerbaijani side, the Karabakh Armenian troops withdrew with losses.

Casualties

Following the skirmish the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced the names of those killed: Private Sahil Mammadov (born 10 April 1991, called up by Shaki Commissariat on April, 2009), Corporal Royal Farajov (born 8 March 1991, called up in April, 2009), Private Davud Rustamov (born 22 July 1991, called up in October, 2009). Private Elvin Adigozalov (born 10 December 1990, called up in January, 2009) was wounded.

Although the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense estimated Armenian casualties to be "not less than ours", Armenian military spokesman Senor Hasratian denied that the Armenian side had sustained any casualties.

International reaction

On February 19 Iranian ambassador in Armenia Seyed Ali Saghaeyan said at a press conference in Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...

: "Iran shares a common border with Karabakh, and therefore we surely have our own considerations and views about the composition of a peacekeeping force that might be deployed in the conflict zone". Saghaeyan, however, did not clarify what he meant by Iran and Karabakh share "a common border."
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