Azerbaijani Forces Kill Karabakh Farmer

Azerbaijani troops killed an Armenian farmer in the latest violent confrontation along the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region's volatile frontline, rebel authorities said on Tuesday.

"On July 14 (Monday), Azerbaijani troops shot dead a resident of Karabakh's Askeran district, Arvind Danielyan," the separatist region's prosecutor general said in a statement.

Danielyan "was working the land on a tractor when Azerbaijani forces opened fire".

Violence along the frontline between arch-foes Armenia and Azerbaijan has simmered since the start of the year, with both sides accusing each other of launching tit-for-tat raids.

On Saturday, a 37-year-old Armenian woman was seriously wounded in shootout between rebel forces and Azerbaijani troops, which killed one soldier from either side.

At least 20 soldiers have been killed so far this year, as government and rebel snipers periodically exchange fire across the flashpoint frontier.

Armenian-backed separatists seized Nagorny Karabakh from Azerbaijan in a 1990s war that killed 30,000 people. Despite years of negotiations since a 1994 ceasefire, the two sides have yet to sign a peace deal.

Azerbaijan has threatened to take back the disputed region by force if negotiations do not yield results, while Armenia has vowed to retaliate against any military action.