The biggest city of Nagorno-Karabakh is under attack by the Azeri forces as the conflict in Azerbaijan raged with more fighting happening since the previous weeks.
Three civilians were killed in the areas shelled by the Azeri forces in an overnight raid, according to the ethnic Armenian-controlled Emergency and Rescue Service on Friday, reported Reuters.
While Azerbaijan did not confirm the barrage in Stepanakert, several independent observers mentioned the conflict was getting closer. The Azeris were doing more raids in the two biggest cities.
In six weeks of fighting, the number of casualties has risen to about 1,000 people in and around the areas affected. The location where the fighting happened is part of Azerbaijan, although held and lived in by ethnic Armenians.
This conflict is under the influence of Turkey, an ally of Azerbaijan. Formerly part of the Soviet Union and controlled by Moscow, it has a defense pact with Armenia. The threat it has on Azeri oil and gas pipelines is serious.
Rescue services have been deployed to Stepanakert, which is under threat of attack. The residential buildings and public infrastructure may yield more casualties. According to reports, the three people who were killed came from the same house.
But Reuters stated that it was not able to get verification about the reports. Three sources who allegedly work in Stepanakert informed that Khankendi in Azerbaijan was under heavy-attack on Thursday.
To the south is Shushi that is 15-kilometers, and the second-largest city, which has been bombarded by heavy artillery that happened overnight, and left several houses ablaze.
Azerbaijan's defense ministry denied that civilians were attacked intentionally, claiming it was disinformation.
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A standing accusation that Armenian-controlled forces shelled cities controlled by Azerbaijan. These cities are Barda and Ganja, the second biggest city in Azerbaijan.
Thomas de Waal, an analyst at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote a book on the Nagorno-Karabakh war in the 1990s. He said the war seemed to be moving close to a battle for Shushi, also known as Shusha to the Azeris.
He added the city of Shusha is relevant to the Azerbaijanis. It's a cultural and historic center for them. It is significant because this is where Azeris had a majority of people way before the war.
De Waal added that it is why the Azeri changed direction and moved away from Lachin towards Shusha. For Armenians, it has relevance, above Stepanakert, and where Karabakh's cathedral is located.
Failed ceasefires
The worst fighting in the South Caucasus has been unprevented by three ceasefires for 25 years or more. Despite an agreement on October 30, which was useless in stopping attacks by both forces, to avoid civilian casualties.
According to the Nagorno-Karabakh defense ministry, the fighting went on all night in the front lines, an attempt to open the frontline to assault Shushi.
Olesya Vartanyan, Crisis Group's Tbilisi-based senior analyst for the South Caucasus, said that hostilities at Shushi have been getting worse in the last week. He added that there were more skirmishes between opposing troops.
Whoever wins Shushi will control Stepanakert. That is the objective of Azerbaijan and Armenia.
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