Armenian-planted landmines continue to kill and maim Azerbaijanis Prosecutor General cites 2023 statistics

In 2023, 58 people hit mines planted by Armenians on the territory of Azerbaijan, Prosecutor General Kamran Aliyev said, speaking at an expanded board.

Caliber.Az reports quoting the official that 19 of them were killed and 39 others suffered various injuries.

Since November 2020, a total of 342 people have been victims of mines or unexploded ordnance, of whom 65 have been killed and 277 wounded.

Azerbaijan, both before the 2020 44-day war and during the post-conflict period, has repeatedly demanded Armenia to submit landmine maps.

The accuracy of landmine maps, the existence of which was denied by Armenia following the signing of the Trilateral Statement dated November 10, 2020, but later was submitted as a result of international pressure, is only 25 per cent. Although these maps show that only 400 thousand landmines were reportedly deployed in our territories, the actual number of landmines surpasses one million.

More than 55 per cent of landmine explosions in recent years occurred in locations outside the areas where maps were provided by Armenia.

After 2020, Armenia deployed new landmines of Armenia production within and along the perimeters of the territory of Azerbaijan where Russian peacekeeping forces were temporarily deployed, with about 500 thousand landmines planted.