Follow Us on Google News
(REUTERS): People of Azerbaijan celebrated after President Ilham Aliyev today (Sunday) announced that his country’s forces had captured, the second-largest city in the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, but Armenian officials denied the claims.
Shusha, which Armenians call Shushi, is of cultural and strategic importance to both countries and is located 15 km south of Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh’s largest city.
At least 1,000 people have died in nearly six weeks of fighting in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous enclave globally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but controlled by ethnic Armenians.
Addressing a press conference, President Ilham Aliyev said, “This day will become a great day in the history of Azerbaijan as our forces had captured Shusha.” Later, a large number of people took to the streets of Baku to celebrate, waving flags and chanting slogans, while drivers sounded their car horns.
Meanwhile, officials from the Nagorno-Karabakh region and Armenia’s Defence Ministry denied Aliyev’s statement. “Shushi remains an unattainable pipe dream for Azerbaijan. Despite heavy destruction, the fortress city withstands the blows of the enemy,” the Nagorno-Karabakh Rescue Service said.
Armenia’s defence ministry, in this regard, said that heavy fighting for the strategic site continues, while the Defence Army of Nagorno-Karabakh said they had repelled multiple attempts by the Azeri side to advance on the town.
Azerbaijan has the upper hand in the bloodiest fighting in more than 25 years in the South Caucasus. In just over a month, it has retaken much of the land in and around Nagorno-Karabakh.
The city could serve as a key staging post for an Azeri assault on the enclave’s largest city, Stepanakert. The town is also culturally significant to both sides.
