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Land Mine Blast Kills 2 Azerbaijani Journalists

VOA News

   Two Azerbaijani journalists and a local government official reportedly
   were killed Friday in a land mine explosion.

   The three died when their car ran over an anti-tank mine in
   Azerbaijan's Kalbacar district. Four other people were reportedly
   injured.

   Azerbaijan's foreign ministry identified the journalists killed asSirac
   Abisov of state-runAzTV andMaharram Ibrahimov ofstate news agency
   AzerTag.

   The ministry blamed the deaths on Armenia and accused it of violating
   the Geneva Conventions by using land mines. Armenia has not responded.

   Tensions again have flared in recent weeks as each side accuses the
   other of making incursions.

   A six-week war between the two sides erupted last year over the
   breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Nearly 7,000 are believed to have
   died in the conflict.

   A Russia-brokered cease-fire in November saw Armenia return territory
   controlled by Armenians for decades, including Kalbacar.

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