Karabakh: Stepanakert ghost town disfigured by bombs

Stepanakert (Azerbaijan) (AFP) - It took barely two days for Stepanakert, the capital of the self-proclaimed Nagorny Karabakh republic, perched in the Caucasian mountains, to be disfigured by Azerbaijani bombardments and much of it emptied of its population.

On Tuesday, after a night and a rainy morning without explosions, Stepanakert was reminiscent of a ghost town.Its few remaining inhabitants, mostly elderly people, carefully ventured out of the shelters to see the damage or to refuel.

72 hours ago and despite the resumption of Armenian-Azerbaijani hostilities on September 27, life was almost normal for the 55,000 people living in the window of the Armenian Republic of "Artsakh" proclaimed in 1991 and closely linked to neighboring Armenia against Azerbaijan.

Despite the fighting on the front about thirty kilometers away, the population still moved almost normally on the colorful arteries of this clean city with little provincial charm, known for the pride of its inhabitants, its fresh air, its pomegranate apples, its local vodka and the "jangyl", a delicious herb bread.

Then, on Friday, the rockets and bombs fell.A rain of projectiles, often very difficult to identify.The city now bears the scars, with in some places collapsed buildings, blown shops and ravaged facades.

In at least two places, rockets or missiles, apparently not having exploded, are stuck in the ground up to the hilt.

On the avenue of freedom fighters, the main artery of Stepanakert, a large part of the storefronts of shops has been blown up.A cubic and soulless building, typical of the communist era, but above all close to the local Ministry of Defense , was particularly affected, as evidenced by the gaping windows and the vehicles gutted in the parking lot.

Posted Date: 2020-10-07