NAGORNO-KARABAKH, 14 December, 2020, (TON): Azerbaijan has said four of its soldiers have been killed accusing Armenian-backed separatists of an ambush. The deaths would be major breach of the Nagorno-Karabakh cease-fire.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have traded blame for breaking the terms of a cease-fire in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

The Azeri government said Sunday that four of its troops had been killed in Nagorno-Karabakh after a group of Armenian fighters ambushed its forces on November 26.

The deaths are the first to be reported during the conflict's cease-fire, which has lasted more than a month.

For its part, Armenia said that six separatist fighters were injured in clashes with Azerbaijan's troops after skirmishes broke out on Friday evening.

Responding to Armenian accusations, the Baku government said the clashes over the weekend had taken place in an area that fell under its control. It said its forces had carried out a military operation against enemy forces responsible for the deadly attacks on Azeri servicemen.

But Armenia said its forces we simply repelling attempted intrusions by Azerbaijan's forces into territories supposed to remain under the control of the rebel province's government.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict erupted in September with clashes between Azerbaijan and separatists backed by Armenia over the mountainous region.

The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement was signed on 9 November by the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and the President of Russia Vladimir Putin. Under the deal, Azerbaijan will hold on to areas of Nagorno-Karabakh that it has taken during the conflict. Armenia has also agreed to withdraw from several other adjacent areas over the next few weeks.

Russia has deployed nearly 2,000 peacekeepers to the troubled region for at least five years, to monitor the peace deal and to facilitate the return of refugees.