UN official: Nearly 400 people hit by mines near Nagorno-Karabakh since 1994 (AP) Updated: 2005-12-25 09:41
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) _ More than 100 people have been killed by land mines
near the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh and nearly 300 people have been
injured by the explosives since a truce more than a decade ago, an official with
the United Nations Development Program said Saturday.
Armen Grigorian, who heads an anti-mine program for the UNDP in Armenia, said
a total of 123 people have been killed by land mine explosions around the
enclave and 271 have been wounded since the 1994 truce ended a six-year conflict
between ethnic Armenian and Azerbaijan forces over the enclave.
Grigorian said the number of victims had dropped substantially over the last
two years thanks to the UNDP de-mining program, which is funded by the United
States and the European Union.
Large-scale fighting ended with the 1994 truce, but tensions remain high and
sporadic shooting still breaks out along the so-called line of control
separating the Armenian and Azerbaijani forces.
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