First refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh arrive in Armenia following Azerbaijan’s military offensive

By AVET DEMOURIAN
Associated Press

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Officials in Armenia say the first refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh have arrived in the country following a two-day military offensive by Azerbaijan. More are expected to come after a 10-month blockade of the breakaway region and the offensive that resulted in Azerbaijan reclaiming full control of it. Thousands of people were evacuated from cities and villages affected by the fighting and taken to a Russian peacekeepers’ camp in Nagorno-Karabakh.  A total of 377 people had arrived in Armenia from the region as of Sunday night, Armenian authorities reported. Nagorno-Karabakh is located in Azerbaijan and came under the control of ethnic Armenian forces, backed by the Armenian military, in separatist fighting that ended in 1994.