Nagorno-Karabakh combat units will be disbanded, according to the report. Brexit opponents protest in London against British accession to the EU

After the defeat by the Azerbaijani army, the army of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is mainly populated by Armenians, will be disbanded. This is done in accordance with Wednesday’s ceasefire, as Armenian news agency Armenpress quoted pro-Armenian authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh as saying. On Friday, the fighters of the internationally unrecognized republic had already started handing in their weapons.

Last Tuesday, authoritarian Azerbaijan launched a military operation to conquer Nagorno-Karabakh. Only a day later, the defeated Karabakh Armenians surrendered. According to Armenian sources, more than 200 people were killed and more than 400 others were injured during the brief fighting.

Look for victims

The search for those killed and missing from the fighting continued over the weekend. Injured and sick people are being taken to medical facilities in Armenia, Armenpress reported. The International Red Cross and Russian soldiers stationed on site would accompany the transports.

Nagorno-Karabakh is within Azerbaijani territory, but is mainly inhabited by Armenians and has long been disputed between the two ex-Soviet republics. The tens of thousands of Armenian citizens in the region now fear being displaced or oppressed by the new Azerbaijani rulers.

Many Armenians accuse their traditional protective power, Russia, which has also stationed its own soldiers on the ground, of abandoning them.

(dsc/sda/dpa)