Intense combat broke out between the military forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan over the weekend, with the two west Asian countries intensifying a conflict over the disputed territory known of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Reports indicate that more than thirty fighters between the two sides were killed over the weekend.

Nagorno-Karabakh’s (also known as Artsakh) pro-Armenian local government claimed that the Armenians had destroyed 20 UAV’s, 3 helicopters, and thirty tanks or fighting vehicles of the Azerbaijani armed forces.

The losses of the #Azerbaijan’s Armed Forces as of 6 pm. #Artsakh /#NagornoKarabakh pic.twitter.com/uHQsxqgf7g

— Artsakh Security Council Office (@secco_artsakh) September 27, 2020

The Armenian ministry of defense has confirmed that more than 200 of its personnel fighting in the conflict have been wounded. It’s possible casualties could explode over the week if Azerbaijan continues its attempt to conquer towns and villages administered by the Artsakh government.

InVideo

An Azerbaijan Army T-72 tank getting destroyed by Armenian Army

2 Helicopters, 3 UAV, 3 Tanks were destroyed by 🇦🇲pic.twitter.com/YbAxM47upE

— SPADEX (@SpadeX95) September 27, 2020

The small territory is inhabited by a majority Armenian population, who wholly support the region’s integration into Armenia. Ethnic warfare over the area first erupted in 1988 as the two nations separated from the collapsing Soviet Union, and has flared up intermittently since then.

The region is largely internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and Azeri attempts to assert sovereignty over the mountainous region have been met with fierce resistance from the local population before. The fighting exploded over the weekend when Azerbaijan attempted to move its military personnel into the area, and it appears that the latest round of fighting has been the most vicious so far.

The warfare escalated when Armenia accused Azerbaijan of deploying artillery and airstrikes against pro-Armenian fighters in the region, with Azerbaijan claiming it only used the weapons in response to Armenian attacks of the same variety.

Armenia is Christian, and Azerbaijan is Muslim. The former has conditional backing from the Russian Federation, while Azerbaijan is staunchly supported by neighboring Turkey. Many Armenians are staunch in their defense of the region as an Armenian territory, citing the legacy of the Ottoman Empire’s genocide of the Armenian population of Anatolia following World War I.

Faith & Power! #StopAzerbaijaniAgression #StopAliyev #KarabakhNow #NKpeace #NKstrong #ArtsakhStrong #ՀԱՂԹԵԼՈՒԵՆՔ pic.twitter.com/ql9cZkpYdu

— Armenia 🇦🇲 (@armenia) September 27, 2020