Two Cities Shelled as Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict Intensifies

Forces from the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh, also known as the disputed Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh, shelled Azerbaijan’s second-largest city on Sunday. The attack was in retaliation for Azerbaijan’s Turkish-backed shelling of its capital, Stepanakert. Although an independently verified death toll from Sunday's escalation was not available, the recently escalated conflict's official death toll was already over 100 as of Tuesday. Artsakh, led by ethnic Armenians in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, receives financial and military support from Armenia, although no member of the UN recognizes its autonomy from Azerbaijan. The Daily Beast reported last week that the Republic of Artsakh’s leaders considered the attack on Stepanakert and others as Turkey’s continuation of ethnic Armenian genocide.