Azerbaijan claims to have 'liberated' Shusha, Armenia says 'fight continues'

As the Armenian- Azerbaijani conflict continued for the sixth week, Baku claimed that it has seized the second-largest city in the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh. In a televised speech on November 8, Azeri president Ilham Aliyev claimed to have taken down the city of Shusha. However, his claim has been denied by the Armenian forces who said that “heavy fighting” for the city continued.

“With great pride and joy, I inform you that the town of Shusha has been liberated, Aliyev said adding that November 8 would “go down in the history of the Azerbaijani people” as the day “we returned to Shusha”.

Shortly after the announcement, hundreds of Azeris gathered in Baku to celebrate, waving flags and chanting slogans while drivers sounded their car horns, Aljazeera reported.

Read:Armenia, Azerbaijan Agree To Avoid Attacking Civilian Areas, Immediately Violate Truce

Read: Armenia, Azerbaijan Allege Cease-fire Breaches

'Unattainable pipe dream'

However, shortly after Aliyev’s announcement, the Armenian government took to Twitter to denounce the false claim. In their tweet, the ministry revealed that “heavy and decisive fighting continues for Shushi” and called the taking of the town “an unattainable pipe dream for Azerbaijan”.

Later in the day, Shushan Stepanyan, a spokeswoman for the ministry revealed that the most “ferocious combat” had unfolded in the vicinity of Shushi throughout the night. However, despite the heavy destruction by Azerbaijani forces, the fortress city withstands the blows of the adversary.”

The city, dubbed “Shushi” by the Armenians is of cultural and strategic importance to both sides and is located 15km (9 miles) south of the enclave’s largest city. This comes as the Caucasian conflict has led to the ruthless killing of over 1,000 people in and around Nagorno Karabakh, a region internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but populated and controlled by ethnic Armenians.

Image: AP

Read: Armenia, Azerbaijan Allege Cease-fire Breaches

Read: Russia Will Render Yerevan 'assistance' If Clashes Take Place On Armenian Territory