Azerbaijani death toll in Upper Karabakh rises to 2,802

BAKU

The Azerbaijani death toll from the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh rose to 2,802 after the bodies of some missing soldiers were found and identified, the Defense Ministry said on Monday.

A war was fought between Azerbaijan and the occupying Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh and ended in favor of Azerbaijan which regained control of scores of settlements.

The ministry had earlier announced the death toll at 2,783. Authorities are still working to identify over 60 deceased soldiers whereas about 40 others are still missing.

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

New clashes erupted on Sept. 27 and ended with a Russia-brokered truce six weeks later.

Baku liberated several strategic cities and nearly 300 of its settlements and villages from the Armenian occupation during this time.

Before this, about 20% of Azerbaijan's territory had been under illegal Armenian occupation for nearly three decades.

*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas