Truce Shaken as Azeris Say Soldier Killed in Armenian Attack
- Azeri Defense Ministry vows `devastating' retaliation
- Unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh says it's observing cease-fire
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Azerbaijan said one of its servicemen was shot and killed Thursday by Armenian fire, the first death it has reported since an April 5 cease-fire calmed an outbreak of violence between the two countries over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory.
The Azeri Defense Ministry condemned the attack as a “bloody provocation” and vowed a “devastating” strike in retaliation, according to a statement on its website. Armenia said Azerbaijan had violated the cease-fire overnight and staged a sabotage attack, while the spokesman for the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh’s Defense Ministry, Senor Hasratyan, said the territory was observing the truce. The Armenian death toll since April 1 has climbed to 92, it said.