The Azerbaijani army retaliated to Armenian mortar fire late on August 22, bombing Armenian positions and communication infrastructure along the ceasefire line and deep inside the occupied territory in Agdam and Xocavand districts, the ministry said on its website.

Three Azerbaijani soldiers sustained light shrapnel injuries, it said.

Following the "intense and brief” exchange of fire, the Azerbaijani army command decided to cease fire to allow Armenians to collect their dead and injured soldiers.

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.