Armenia, Azerbaijan renew clashes over contested Nagorno-Karabakh region

Sept. 27 (UPI) -- Military tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan flared up Sunday as both sides alleged attacks on civilians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan tweeted Sunday that the country has shot down two helicopters, three unmanned aerial vehicles and destroyed three tanks which he said came in response to a "missile and aerial attack" from Azerbaijan against peaceful settlements in Artsakh.

Pashinyan also announced that the government decided to declare martial law amid the conflict.

"I call on the personnel attached to the troops to present themselves to their district commissariats," he wrote. "For the fatherland, for victory."

Artak Beglaryan, an official from the Republic of Artsakh, a de facto independent Armenian state which controls the region of Nagorno Karabakh said a woman and child had been killed and dozens of others were injured in the attacks.

Hikmet Hajiyev, assistant of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan accused Armenia of "an act of aggression and use of force," while local media cited a report by the Azerbaijani prosecutor general's office that at least vive people were killed by artillery shelling.

"There are reports of dead and wounded among civilians and military servicemen. Extensive damage has been inflicted on many homes and civilian infrastructure," said Hajiyev.

Azerbaijan's parliament also voted to impose martial law on Sunday and President Ilham Aliyev approved the decision.

The two sides have long clashed over the region, which is located within Azerbaijan's borders, and have regularly engaged in military skirmishes despite a ceasefire.