Azerbaijan says it is laying down its weapons in its recent conflict with Armenia, according to state media, a day after 30 soldiers from both sides were killed.
"In the light of persistent calls from international organizations and given the fact that the government of Azerbaijan is pursuing a peaceful policy, the Azerbaijani armed forces took a unilateral decision to stop counter-attacks and retaliatory action against the enemy in the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan," the country's ministry of defense said in a statement, according to Azerbaijan state news agency Azertac.
However, Azerbaijan said it will respond to any continued "provocations" with "offensive operations in order to destroy the enemy."
The announcement comes a day after long-simmering tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan flared again, with at least 18 Armenian and 12 Azerbaijani troops killed in fighting, according to state media reports.
The violence was centered in Nagorno-Karabakh, a region occupied by Armenian forces but surrounded and claimed by Azerbaijan. Where it belongs has been in dispute for years, though it's been relatively rare of late for this discord to erupt in bloodshed.
That's what happened Friday night and Saturday. An Azerbaijani Mi-24 helicopter carrying out airstrikes on Armenian military positions was shot down, and a mine blast damaged a tank, according to Azertac.
The same report said that six Armenian tanks and 15 artillery pieces were destroyed, while over "100 enemy soldiers were killed and injured."
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/03/asia/azerbaijan-armenia-violence/
