Azerbaijan starts large-scale military drills as war risk grows

More than 6,000 reservists will be called up to take part in the drills, which will continue through September 13, the ministry said.

The troops will practice defense and counter-attack operations to encircle and destroy the enemy.

The drills come amid an escalation of tensions with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

At least four Armenian and two Azerbaijani troops were reported killed in the past week.

Armenians captured nearly one-fifth of Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts, in a war after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.

While major hostilities ended with a cease-fire in 1994, no peace agreement has been signed despite talks mediated by Russia, France and the United States.

Armenia has yet to comply with four UN Security Council resolutions demanding immediate and unconditional withdrawal from the occupied Azerbaijani territory.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly warned that it reserves the right to use force to regain control of the territory.