STEPANAKERT, August 25. /ARKA/. This night Azerbaijan, attacking the Karabakh side by fire, used also multiple launch rocket systems produced by Turkey, the press office of the Nagorno-Karabakh defense ministry reported on Tuesday.



Photos with shatters of the Turkey-made 107-millimeter TR-107 on them are available on the ministry's official website.



Azerbaijanis also fired from 60-, 82- and 120-millimeter mortars (some 110 shells). They used artillery and small arms.



According to the defense ministry's press release, Karabakh troops put down the assault by return fire and continue controlling things along the whole line of contact.



Karabakh conflict broke out in 1988 when Nagorno Karabakh, mainly populated by Armenians, declared its independence from Azerbaijan.



On December 10, 1991, a few days after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a referendum took place in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the majority of the population (99.89%) voted for secession from Azerbaijan.



Afterwards, large-scale military operations began. As a result, Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven regions adjacent to it.



Some 30,000 people were killed in this war and about one million people fled their homes.



On May 12, 1994, the Bishkek cease-fire agreement put an end to the military operations.



Тalks brokered by OSCE Minsk Group are being held over peaceful settlement of the conflict. The group is co-chaired by USA, Russia and France. --0-----





18:05 25.08.2015