Dozens of residents in Nagorno-Karabakh have been killed by land mines planted by Armenian forces, even though three months have passed since the cease-fire was established, Azerbaijani authorities said in a statement Friday, The Daily Sabah reported.
“People in Nagorno-Karabakh continue to be killed by an unknown number of land mines that were buried by Armenian troops throughout the territory,” authorities said, adding that President Ilham Aliyev urged citizens to refrain from traveling to the liberated areas without permission.
“I understand the wishes of those who have longed for their homeland for many years. Every former internally displaced person wants to return to his native village. But I must ask that they wait a bit longer until our work to clear the mines is completed,” Aliyev told Azerbaijanis yearning to go back to their homes after liberation.
The statement noted that the Armenian side refuses to submit the mine map, despite requests.
“Clearing the unexploded ordnance is estimated to take five or six years, while clearing mines could take even longer, between 10 to 13 years,” the statement said, adding that although Azerbaijan has been carrying out operations to clear the mines, casualties have been unavoidable.
On Nov. 23, an Azerbaijani soldier was killed, and a Russian peacekeeper and four Ministry of Emergency Situations of Nagorno-Karabakh workers were injured in an explosion near the village of Madagiz while searching for bodies of individuals killed in the war. Just five days after the incident, four more people were killed after their vehicle was blown up by an anti-tank mine in Fuzuli. In three separate incidents in December, five more people, including two Azerbaijani soldiers, a Russian officer and two civilians were killed in explosions.
On New Year’s Day, another Azerbaijani civilian died in Fuzuli, while an officer was killed after a mine exploded in Qubadli on Jan. 12. Just two days after this, the driver of a bulldozer died after driving over an anti-tank mine near Talish, and a similar incident occurred on Jan. 22 in Jabrayil.