A former Azerbaijani soldier has been killed in a landmine explosion in Aghdam, adding to a growing list of deaths caused by unexploded ordinances in former conflict zones.
The soldier, identified as Sayyaf Ahmadov, was killed on Tuesday, according to pro-government media outlet APA.
A joint statement issued by the Interior Ministry, the Prosecutor General’s Office, and the Mine Action Agency (ANAMA), identifying the Ahmadov and saying that the explosion went off ‘in the area of a cemetery that had not been cleared of mines’.
The joint statement said that an investigation had been launched into the incident, with the authorities calling on citizens to ‘follow safety rules, pay attention to mine danger signs, and not enter unfamiliar areas’.
Reports of injuries or deaths resulting from landmine explosions in areas that have come under Azerbaijani control during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict — such as Aghdam — are relatively common.
According to an Azerbaijani briefing published by the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in April, 70 people have been killed and 318 were injured by landmines and explosive remnants of war since the end of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in November 2020. According to the briefing, landmines and explosive remnants ‘affect more than 13% of the country’s territory’.
ANAMA says it cleared 59,163 pieces of unexploded ordinances, 4,286 anti-personnel mines, and 2,372 anti-tank mines in 2024 alone.
