Azerbaijani serviceman injured in mine blast during clearance operations in Kalbajar

On May 29, at approximately 10:10 AM, an Azerbaijani Army serviceman was injured while conducting mine clearance operations in the Kalbajar region.

Engineer-sapper units were carrying out demining work near the Istisu settlement when an anti-personnel mine, planted by Armenian forces, detonated, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry.

The serviceman, identified as Sadigov Khudaverdi Hasan oglu, sustained an injury to his left leg. He received immediate first aid on-site before being evacuated to the nearest military hospital for further medical examination and treatment.

The incident highlights the ongoing threat posed by landmines in Azerbaijan’s liberated territories, particularly in the Karabakh and East Zangezur regions. As part of its post-conflict recovery strategy, Azerbaijan has prioritised large-scale demining operations. However, progress remains hindered by the extensive presence of mines and unexploded ordnances reportedly planted by Armenian forces during decades of occupation.

Since the 1990s, over one million landmines are believed to have been laid in Karabakh and surrounding areas. Despite the end of the 2020 war, nearly 3,000 Armenian-made mines produced in 2021 were discovered in the Kalbajar and Lachin districts, pointing to continued risks even after hostilities ceased.

The humanitarian toll has been significant: since November 2020, 392 Azerbaijani citizens have fallen victim to landmine incidents, with thousands more affected since the start of Armenia’s military aggression. Efforts to obtain accurate minefield maps from Armenia have been largely unsuccessful, as Azerbaijani authorities have deemed the maps provided imprecise and incomplete.

Currently, an estimated 12 per cent of Azerbaijan’s territory is contaminated with landmines and explosive remnants of war, posing a major obstacle to reconstruction and the safe return of displaced populations.

By Vugar Khalilov