Azerbaijan has accused arch rival Armenia of killing five soldiers near the shared border of the two countries on the second day of violence that US secretary of state Hillary Clinton warned could spiral into a broader regional conflict.
The violence comes the day after a skirmish on the Azeri-Armenian border which killed three Armenian soldiers and wounded others on both sides.
Mrs Clinton, on a trip to the South Caucasus, voiced concern that violence could lead to a “broader conflict”.
Another clash killed one more Azeri soldier. “A group of saboteurs from Armenia undertook an attempt to infiltrate a position of the Azeri armed forces . . . In the course of battle four Azeri soldiers died,” the defence ministry of the oil producing country said.
Mrs Clinton, who visited Armenia on Monday, is due to make a half-day trip to Azerbaijan today. – (Reuters)