Azerbaijani forces neutralize at least 2,300 Armenian soldiers - ministry

At least 2,300 Armenian soldiers were neutralized in a counterattack launched by Azerbaijani troops to save their occupied territories.

In a statement, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said 2,300 Armenian soldiers have been neutralized since Sept. 27.

Also, approximately 130 tanks and armored vehicles, more than 200 artillery and missile systems, approximately 25 air defense systems, six command and observation zone, five ammunition depots, approximately 50 anti-tank guns and 55 cars were destroyed, it added.

Meanwhile, the ministry said Armenia targeted Azerbaijan's Terter region with artillery fire in the morning hours.

Infrastructure suffered damage in the region, while no civilians were injured in the attacks, it said.

Border clashes broke out early Sunday when Armenian forces targeted Azerbaijani civilian settlements and military positions, leading to multiple casualties.

Azerbaijan's parliament declared a state of war in some cities and areas, following Armenia's border violations and attacks in the occupied Upper Karabakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh, region.

Azerbaijan declared partial military mobilization on Monday.

Relations between the two former Soviet nations have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Upper Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan.

Four UN Security Council and two UN General Assembly resolutions, as well as many international organizations, demand the withdrawal of the occupying forces.

The OSCE Minsk Group-co-chaired by France, Russia, and the US-was formed in 1992 to find a peaceful solution to the conflict, but to no avail. A cease-fire, however, was agreed upon in 1994.

France, Russia, and NATO, among others, have called for an immediate halt to clashes in the occupied region.