Residents taking cover in bomb shelters after shelling in the capital Stepanakert — Reuters Sept 29 (BBC): Fierce fighting raged for a second day following a flare-up of a decades-old conflict in the Caucasus region of south-eastern Europe.
Dozens of deaths were reported in battles between forces fighting for Armenia and Azerbaijan on Monday.
At the heart of the conflict is a dispute over control of the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
It is recognised as part of Azerbaijan, but has been controlled by ethnic Armenians since a war ended in 1994.
Tens of thousands of people died during that war and a million others were forced to leave their homes.
On Monday night authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh reported that another 26 of its servicemen had been killed in the fighting, bringing its total losses to more than 80.
Other countries are concerned that the latest fighting could spill out of the region and draw in neighbouring powers, including Turkey, Russia and Iran.
They are also keen to maintain stability because major gas and oil pipelines run through the area.
The latest intense fighting began on Sunday, with both Armenia and Azerbaijan blaming each other for the escalation.
Both parties said they had mobilised more soldiers and declared martial law in some areas.
The fighting is the heaviest seen in the conflict since 2016, when at least 200 people were killed in clashes.
Turkey has declared its support for Azerbaijan, while Russia - which has military bases in Armenia but is also friendly with Azerbaijan - called for an immediate ceasefire.
Armenia has accused Turkey of providing direct military support to help Azerbaijan gain control of territory - a claim denied by Azerbaijan.
On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on Armenia to immediately end its "occupation" of the region and withdraw, saying this was the only course of action that would secure peace.
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