Armenian Forces Kill Azerbaijani Soldier

Armenian forces on Monday shot dead an Azerbaijani soldier in the latest uptick of border violence along the disputed Nagorny Karabakh frontier, the defense ministry in Baku said.

The fatal shooting came barely a week after Baku said that another Azerbaijani soldier was killed along the volatile frontline by Armenia troops, as both sides accused each other of launching tit-for-tat cross-border raids.

"As a result of a violation of the ceasefire agreement by the Armenian side Sabudi Azizov, an officer of the Azerbaijani army, lost his life," Azerbaijan's defense ministry said in a statement.

"Lieutenant Azizov died after being shot by a sniper," the statement added.

Armenia-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.

Around 20 soldiers from both the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides were reportedly killed last year.