Another batch of Armenia-planted mines defused in Kalbajar, Dashkasan

By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

The Azerbaijani army’s engineer sapper units have discovered another batch of landmines planted by Armenian sabotage groups in Kalbajar and Dashkasan districts, Azernews reports, citing the ministry.

As a result of demining activities, some 79 PMN-E anti-personnel and 2 TM-62M anti-tank mines in Kalbajar, as well as 53 PMN-E anti-personnel mines and 4 OZM-72 anti-personnel fragmentation mines in Dashkasan were defused in line with the safety rules, the ministry said.

The ministry recalled that under international humanitarian law, the 1997 Ottawa Convention outlaws the production, stockpiling, transfer, and use of anti-personnel mines. Despite this, a large number of mines produced in Armenia have been discovered in the liberated districts following the 44-day war in 2020.

Anti-personnel mines, which are laid with the intention of causing human losses, pose a significant threat to the lives of both civilians and military personnel, it added.

The Azerbaijan army’s engineer-sapper units continue demining efforts of the liberated territories. On October 5, the engineer-sapper units of the Azerbaijani army defused some 230 mines planted by an Armenian sabotage group in Kalbajar and Dashkasan districts.

To recap, units of the Armenian armed forces carried out large-scale provocations along the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border in the Dashkasan, Kalbajar, and Lachin directions on the night of September 12 leading to 13. The Armenian sabotage groups mined land and supply roads, linking the positions of the Azerbaijani army units in different directions, taking advantage of the area's steep topography and existing ravine gaps.