Armenia killed 13 civilians in Azerbaijan's Gandja city three years ago

At least 13 civilians have been killed and more than 52 people injured in Gandja, the second biggest city of Azerbaijan situated far away from the frontline, as a result of the Armenian armed forces’ ballistic missile attack — for the fifth time in the 20 days of the heavy clashes over the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.

According to Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations, at least 13 bodies and 52 injured, including children, have been removed from wreckages after the rocket fire on Gandja at 01:00 local time on October 17, which was a gross violation of the humanitarian ceasefire and international humanitarian law by the Armenian army.

“This, third in a row atrocious attack on the second biggest city of Azerbaijan, since the new aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan, situated far away from the frontline caused serious civilian casualties,” the press service of the Ministry of Azerbaijan’s Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

“Armenia’s deliberate and indiscriminate targeting of civilians, in a blatant violation of norms and principles of international law, including international humanitarian law, as well as declared humanitarian ceasefire, the purposeful killing of peaceful people constitute a war crime and a crime against humanity.”

Previously, on October 11, Armenia’s forces launched an Elbrus tactical ballistic missile on Gandja, which is more than 60 km away from the conflict zone, destroying two residential buildings to kill 10 and wound 34 civilians. On October 4, 5, 8, and 11, Gandja was targeted in more consecutive missile strikes by the Armenian military using R-17 Elbrus, designated as SS-1C Scud-B by NATO, a Russian-made short-range ballistic rocket with a range of up to 300 kilometres. It is able to carry 985 kilograms of conventional and 5-80 kilotons of nuclear warheads.

“SCUD Ballistic Missile attack and indiscriminate killing of civilians by Armenia's Nikol Pashinyan in Gandja is the same tactic and missile system used by Saddam Hussein against civilians,” Assistant of the Azerbaijani President and Head of Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev said in a tweet on October 17.

In his address to the nation, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev described the missile attack on Gandja city as another “war crime."

“Armenian leadership is committing a war crime. Shooting at civilians, including firing missiles, is a war crime, and they must and will bear responsibility for this crime," President Aliyev stated.

"We are giving their answer on the battlefield. We are avenging and will continue to avenge the deaths of our martyrs, of innocent civilians on the battlefield,” he said adding that Azerbaijan had never fought and would never be fighting against the civilian population.

President Aliyev also announced on October 17, 2020, the liberation of the city of Fuzuli and seven villages of Fuzuli district from the Armenian occupation.