A Russian peacekeeper guards an entrance of the Dadivank, an Armenian Apostolic Church monastery dating to the 9th century, Wednesday after transfer of the Kalbajar region to Azerbaijan’s control, as part of a peace deal.
(AP/Emrah Gurel)
BAKU, Azerbaijan -- Azerbaijan said Thursday it lost nearly 2,800 soldiers in 44 days of fighting with Armenian forces over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, the first time it has disclosed its military casualties.
The hostilities ended Nov. 10 with a Russia-brokered peace deal that saw Azerbaijan reclaim the territories that Armenian forces had controlled for more than a quarter-century.
The Defense Ministry said 2,783 troops were killed and more than 100 are still missing. Another 1,245 are being treated in medical facilities.
The government also said 94 civilians were killed and more than 400 were wounded in shelling.
Armenia's Health Ministry said Wednesday that at least 2,718 Armenian servicemen were killed in the fighting. Scores of Armenian civilians were also killed.
Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a separatist war there ended in 1994. That war left Nagorno-Karabakh itself and substantial surrounding territory in Armenian hands.
In fierce fighting that began Sept. 27, the Azerbaijani army routed Armenian forces and pushed deep into the separatist territory.
The peace agreement saw the return to Azerbaijan of a significant part of Nagorno-Karabakh and also required Armenia to hand over all the regions it held outside the separatist territory. Azerbaijan completed reclaiming those territories Tuesday when it took over the Lachin region between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia.
Russia deployed nearly 2,000 peacekeepers for at least five years to monitor the deal and facilitate the return of refugees. The Russian troops also will ensure safe transit between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia across the Lachin region.
Azerbaijan celebrated the end of fighting as a national triumph, and President Ilham Aliyev declared Thursday that Nov. 8 will be celebrated nationally as Victory Day to mark the takeover of Shusha, a key city in Nagorno-Karabakh, by Azerbaijani forces.
Aliyev had earlier set the holiday for Nov. 10, when the peace deal took effect, but he reconsidered because Turkey, which is Azerbaijan's main ally, celebrates Ataturk Memorial Day on that date.
Turkey has extended its clout in the region by strongly backing Azerbaijan. Earlier this week, Russian and Turkish military officials signed documents to set up a joint monitoring center to ensure the fulfillment of the peace deal.
The peace deal has sparked anger in Armenia. Several hundred opposition protesters rallied Thursday in the Armenian capital of Yerevan, blocking several streets as they demanded the ouster of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
Artur Vanetsyan, the former head of the National Security Service who leads the Homeland opposition party, said in televised remarks that "each day that Pashinyan retains the prime minister's post represents a national security threat."
Armenia's opposition holds him responsible for failing to negotiate a quicker end to the hostilities at more beneficial terms, but it vows to uphold the peace deal if he steps down.
Information for this article was contributed by Avet Demourian and Aida Sultanova of The Associated Press.
An Azerbaijani tank rolls along a highway after the transfer of the Kalbajar region to Azerbaijan's control, as part of a peace deal that required Armenian forces to cede the Azerbaijani territories they held outside Nagorno-Karabakh, near Kalbajar, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. A Russia-brokered peace deal that took effect Nov. 10 obliged Armenian forces to hand over all of the Azerbaijani regions they held outside Nagorno-Karabakh, including the Kalbajar region. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
An Azerbaijani solder walks at a checkpoint at the Murovdagh mountains, after the transfer of the Kalbajar region to Azerbaijan's control, as part of a peace deal that required Armenian forces to cede the Azerbaijani territories they held outside Nagorno-Karabakh, in Kalbajar regions, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. A Russia-brokered peace deal that took effect Nov. 10 obliged Armenian forces to hand over all of the Azerbaijani regions they held outside Nagorno-Karabakh, including the Kalbajar region. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Armenian police officer detains a demonstrator during a rally to pressure Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign over a peace deal with neighboring Azerbaijan in Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia, Friday, Nov. 20, 2020. In Armenia, the peace deal sparked outrage. Mass protests erupted in the capital Yerevan, with thousands regularly taking to the streets to demand the ouster of the country's prime minister. (Hayk Baghdasaryan, Photolure via AP)
An Azerbaijani military tent camp is set up after the transfer of the Kalbajar region to Azerbaijan's control, as part of a peace deal that required Armenian forces to cede the Azerbaijani territories they held outside Nagorno-Karabakh, in Kalbajar, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. A Russia-brokered peace deal that took effect Nov. 10 obliged Armenian forces to hand over all of the Azerbaijani regions they held outside Nagorno-Karabakh, including the Kalbajar region. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
An Azerbaijani soldier stands inside a destroyed Armenian house after the transfer of the Kalbajar region to Azerbaijan's control, as part of a peace deal that required Armenian forces to cede the Azerbaijani territories they held outside Nagorno-Karabakh, in Kalbajar, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. A Russia-brokered peace deal that took effect Nov. 10 obliged Armenian forces to hand over all of the Azerbaijani regions they held outside Nagorno-Karabakh, including the Kalbajar region. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Armenian police officers block demonstrators during a rally to pressure Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign over a peace deal with neighboring Azerbaijan in Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020. In Armenia, the peace deal sparked outrage. Mass protests erupted in the capital Yerevan, with thousands regularly taking to the streets to demand the ouster of the country's prime minister. (Hayk Baghdasaryan, Photolure via AP)
Armenian police officer detain a demonstrator during a rally to pressure Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign over a peace deal with neighboring Azerbaijan in Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020. In Armenia, the peace deal sparked outrage. Mass protests erupted in the capital Yerevan, with thousands regularly taking to the streets to demand the ouster of the country's prime minister. (Vahram Baghdasaryan, Photolure via AP)
Azerbaijani soldiers rest near a destroyed Armenian house after the transfer of the Kalbajar region to Azerbaijan's control, as part of a peace deal that required Armenian forces to cede the Azerbaijani territories they held outside Nagorno-Karabakh, in Kalbajar, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. A Russia-brokered peace deal that took effect Nov. 10 obliged Armenian forces to hand over all of the Azerbaijani regions they held outside Nagorno-Karabakh, including the Kalbajar region. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
