Border skirmish alarms Heydarabad residents

The shooting in the direction of the dwelling settlement of Heydarabad of the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic (NAR), bordering on Armenia, caused no material damage to local residents, but worried them.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in the evening on July 19, Armenia accused Azerbaijan of shelling the Armenian positions stationed in the vicinity of the village of Eraskh (located on the border with the NAR, – note of the "Caucasian Knot"), including from mortars.

Heydarabad is at the very border with Armenia. The distance from there to the positions of the Azerbaijani Army, located on adjacent heights, is about one kilometre, while the next mount is occupied by Armenian militaries. The parties are separated in a straight line by several hundred meters, the freelance journalist, Khyakimeldostu Mekhtiev, who lives in the NAR's Sharur District, next to the Sadarak District, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to Mr Mekhtiev, Heydarabad was not damaged during the last shelling. "The life there continues as usual. Shootings of this nature have been observed there for many years. Of course, it's alarming, there are fears for children and the elderly," The journalist has added.

Makhmud Musaev, a resident of Baku, who has relatives in Heydarabad, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the last shootout caused some tension, but no one had an idea of temporarily leaving the residence.

"People are already accustomed to such incidents. Of course, it is alarming when shooting is heard, but the Azerbaijani Army is now sheltering the settlement from the surrounding heights," Mr Musaev has added.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 21, 2021 at 10:19 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.