Armenia attacks civilians in western Azerbaijan

Armenia once again hit civilians in western Azerbaijan causing fatalities and injuries on Thursday.

The civilians had been visiting a cemetery in the western Terter city, when the Armenian attack struck.

Fighting between the two countries over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, also known as Upper Karabakh, began Sept. 27.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied the region, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan.

Four UN Security Council and two UN General Assembly resolutions demand the withdrawal of occupying forces.

The OSCE Minsk Group -- co-chaired by France, Russia, and the US -- was formed in 1992 to find a peaceful solution to the conflict, but to no avail. A cease-fire, however, was agreed to in 1994.

Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani army has liberated eight more villages from Armenian occupation in Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev announced Wednesday.

The regions of Jabrayil and Hadrut, as well as more than 30 villages, had previously been liberated in Azerbaijan's operations.

Azerbaijan's Prosecutor General's Office had earlier said on Thursday that at least 43 civilians had been killed and 218 injured due to the Armenian attacks that began in September.

Armenia's attacks have also rendered 1,592 houses, 79 apartments and 290 public buildings unusable.