The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has called on the conflicting parties to observe the principles of humanitarian law in Nagorno-Karabakh.
"Red Cross (ICRC) is concerned about the humanitarian impact of the conflict escalation along the line of contact, which started in the morning of 27 September 2020. There are civilians among the casualties reported on both sides," it said in a press statement.
"The ICRC calls on the sides to take all measures necessary to ensure that civilian life and infrastructure is respected and protected, in line with their obligation to respect basic rules of international humanitarian law," it stressed.
"We reiterate our commitment to assist and support those affected by this escalation as well as to act as a neutral intermediary", it quoted regional director Martin Schuepp as saying. "We urge the sides to exercise all the efforts possible at all times to abide by the principles of the international humanitarian law".
The Armenian armed forces committed a large-scale provocation, subjecting the positions of the Azerbaijani army to intensive shelling from large-caliber weapons, mortars, and artillery installations of various calibers in the front-line zone on Sept. 27 at 05:00 (Msk). The command of the Azerbaijani Army decided to launch a counter-offensive operation of Azerbaijani troops along the entire front to suppress the combat activity of the Armenian armed forces and ensure the safety of the civilian population. Seven villages of Fizuli and Jabrayil districts, key heights near Talysh, as well as Murovdag were liberated.
