Azerbaijan declares Fuzuli’s Ashagi Seyidahmadli village most mine-littered area

Ashagi Seyidahmadli village of Fuzuli district has been included in the category of territories most contaminated by mines.

Idris Ismayilov, Head of the Operations Department of the Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency (ANAMA), made the remarks at the first international conference on "Forensic archaeology and forensic anthropology: humanitarian applications", Report informs.

According to him, ANAMA has been clearing the area for more than a month.

"Some 121 landmines, including 85 anti-tank mines and 36 anti-personnel mines, were found and deactivated in an area of about 1.4 hectares. The Agency is continuing its mine clearance work to ensure safety,” Ismayilov added.

Azerbaijan’s territories, including Fuzuli and Zangilan, have been mined heavily during their nearly 30-year-long occupation by Armenia since the early 1990s. 

Armenians planted more than one million landmines in the former occupied Azerbaijani territories over nearly 30 years of illegal control of those lands by Armenia's forces.

Despite extensive efforts, demining operations faced many challenges due to Armenia’s refusal to hand over maps displaying the locations of the landmines.

Azerbaijan obtained minefield maps of the once-occupied Aghdam, Fuzuli, and Zangilan districts from Armenia, which reportedly identify the coordinates of 189,000 anti-tank and anti-personnel mines. Armenia also provided the Azerbaijani side with mine maps of other liberated territories of Azerbaijan.

In exchange for maps, Azerbaijan released dozens of Armenian saboteurs detained in Azerbaijani territory after the war. However, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said the accuracy of these maps did not exceed 25 per cent.

ANAMA reported that the maps provided by Armenia were just 2 per cent effective in mine action. According to the Azerbaijani government data, international experts estimate that Azerbaijan needs nearly 30 years and $25 billion to solve issues related to demining.