BAKU, Azerbaijan, Oct. 16
Trend:
Any use of children in conflict constitutes a grave violation of their rights, Chulho Hyun, Chief of Communication, UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia told Trend.
He noted that UNICEF is unable to independently verify the content of this video.
"Any use of children in conflict constitutes a grave violation of their rights. We urge all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure from further harm, in line with international and humanitarian law. UNICEF teams in Armenia and Azerbaijan are engaging with local partners to offer humanitarian assistance to affected children," Hyun said.
A video was published on Telegram, showing footage of what looked like a school military training session. The training was conducted under the supervision of military servicemen, with the presence of teenagers in civilian clothes.
According to foreign intelligence services, several children's camps for Armenian terrorists have been set up in the highlands of Karabakh and Armenia, where teenagers undergo ‘psychological washing’ for their subsequent participation in the war.
Armenian Armed Forces launched a large-scale military attack on positions of the Azerbaijani army on the front line, using large-caliber weapons, mortars, and artillery on Sept. 27.
Azerbaijan responded with a counter-offensive along the entire front. As a result of retaliation, Azerbaijani troops liberated a number of territories previously occupied by Armenia, as well as take important, strategic heights under control.
The fighting continued into October 2020, in the early days of which Armenia has launched missile attacks on Azerbaijani cities of Ganja, Mingachevir, Khizi as well as Absheron district.
Following almost two weeks of intensive military confrontations, Armenia and Azerbaijan, with Russia's mediation, have agreed on a temporary ceasefire for humanitarian purposes, for exchange of prisoners of war as well as bodies of the dead.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.