BAKU, Azerbaijan

An Azerbaijani soldier was killed late Sunday when a mine planted by Armenian forces exploded in western Azerbaijan, according to Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry.

The soldier, identified as Novruz Niftalıyev, was killed in Tartar district, which came back under Azerbaijani control in the wake of the fall 2020 Karabakh War, the ministry said in a statement.

The incident is being investigated, the ministry added.

“Azerbaijanis continue to be killed and maimed by landmines planted by Armenia. Today a military serviceman was killed by landmine explosion. Since the end of 2020-war, 288 Azerbaijanis became victims, including 50 killed. The international community should voice concern on Armenian landmine threat,” it said on Twitter.

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

A truce has been in force between the neighbors since a 2020 war that forced Armenia to cede territories it had occupied for decades.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz