Karabakh fighting widens

Azerbaijan yesterday said it had destroyed missile launchers inside Armenia that were targetting its cities and vital gas and oil pipelines, as fierce fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh risked widening beyond the disputed region. 

Hundreds have already lost their lives in two weeks of fighting, and continued clashes have rendered almost meaningless a humanitarian ceasefire agreed in Moscow last week.

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Armenia confirmed that military positions inside the country had been hit but denied its forces had been firing into Azerbaijan. It warned that it too could start targeting military sites inside its adversary's territory.

Clashes over Nagorno-Karabakh -- where Armenia-backed separatist fighters are battling Azerbaijani forces -- have been largely confined to areas in and around the region since a fresh outbreak of fighting started last month.

Direct confrontations between Armenia and Azerbaijan risk spiralling into an all-out, multi-front war with devastating consequences for both sides.

Russia yesterday again appealed to both sides to observe the humanitarian ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh, which is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan.

The latest fighting, which erupted on September 27, has been the most intense since a 1994 ceasefire, claiming more than 600 lives, including more than 70 civilians, according to a tally based on partial tolls from both sides.

Each side has accused the other of targeting civilian areas with shelling, missile and rocket attacks.