An Azerbaijani soldier was shot and killed by Armenian troops occupying Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region, the Defense Ministry said.

Tural Ahmadov, 24, was fatally wounded in an undisclosed section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani ceasefire line at around 1435 local time yesterday, the ministry said on its website.

Ahmadov was the second Azerbaijani soldier killed by enemy fire in the past two months.

Backed by Russia, Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan in a war after the Soviet breakup in 1991.

Large-scale hostilities ended with a ceasefire three years later but no peace agreement has been signed.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly warned that it reserves the right to use military force to regain control of its internationally-recognized territory should peace efforts mediated by the US, Russia and France fail.

More than 20 soldiers were confirmed killed in August as skirmishes turned deadliest in the past 20 years.

Bakudaily.Az