By AFP 19 September 2023 | 9:58 am Four policemen and two civilians were killed in separate mine blasts Tuesday in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan said, blaming “sabotage groups” amid spiraling tensions with neighbouring Armenia. Fears of a fresh war between the Caucasus arch-foes — locked in a decades-long dispute over the breakaway mountainous region — have grown in recent months.… This handout photograph released by the Uzbek Presidential press service on September 14, 2023, shows the heads of states of participating countries if the Fifth Consultative Meeting of Central Asian Heads of State in Dushanbe. (From L): Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov, Tajikistans President Emomali Rakhmon, Turkmenistan’s President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev. (Photo by Handout / Uzbek Presidential Press Service / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – MANDATORY CREDIT “AFP PHOTO / UZBEK PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE ” – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS – RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – MANDATORY CREDIT “AFP PHOTO / UZBEK PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE ” – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS / Four policemen and two civilians were killed in separate mine blasts Tuesday in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan said, blaming “sabotage groups” amid spiraling tensions with neighbouring Armenia. Fears of a fresh war between the Caucasus arch-foes — locked in a decades-long dispute over the breakaway mountainous region — have grown in recent months. Azerbaijan’s security services said two men died in the Khodzhavenskiy district and four police officers were later killed en route to the blast site. The two civilians — born in 1970 and 1965 — were killed around 4:00 am by a mine placed by Armenian separatist “sabotage groups,” it said. The blast happened “in the zone of temporary deployment of the Russian peacekeeping contingent,” deployed by Moscow in 2020 as part of a ceasefire deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The police officers who subsequently died were on the road to Azerbaijani-controlled Shusha, a settlement captured from separatists during the 2020 war. The policemen, travelling on a Kamaz truck, were born between 1987 and 1998. Azerbaijan opened a terrorism probe into the incident. The deaths came a day after aid deliveries resumed to breakaway Karabakh territories, raising hopes for tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease. Karabakh, over which Baku and Yerevan fought two wars, is heavily mined. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has said that landmines were the main obstacle for the return of displaced people to territories retaken from Armenian separatists in 2020. Latest 20 mins ago A candlelight procession has been organised in honour of the late rapper Mohbad Imole. It has been scheduled to take place on Thursday 21st September 2023. The start point is Lekki Phase 1 Gate and ends at Muri Okunola Park, Victoria Island, Lagos. while the tribute concert to mark his time on earth as a… 48 mins ago The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) says its Management Staff with less than 15 months to statutory retirement will be exiting the company effective Sept. 19, 2023. The company made this known on Tuesday on its official X handle formerly known as Twitter. According to the NNPC Ltd., the move is in a… 49 mins ago India on Tuesday rejected the “absurd” allegation that its agents were behind the killing of a Sikh leader in Canada, after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s bombshell accusation sent already sour diplomatic relations to a new low. Ottawa also expelled a diplomat it described as the head of India’s foreign intelligence service in Canada, prompting a… 55 mins ago Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez have reportedly divorced after 2 years of marriage, according to TMZ. The couple secretly tied the knot in May 2021, after dating for a year. However, sources told TMZ that they separated in January 2023 and are now heading for divorce. “Ariana and Dalton tried to make things work, but… 56 mins ago Six Police officers from the Kwara State Police Command will face disciplinary actions for assaulting a man. In a statement on his X handle, Police spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi said the officers along with their Commander are currently in Police Headquarters in Abuja. The officers were caught in a viral video assaulting the young man and…
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