Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that the country must be "ten times stronger" than Armenia "every day," explaining this by the need to maintain military superiority even after the initialing of a peace agreement between the two countries. He outlined his position on October 2 at the 8th Congress of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party in Baku.
A bulldozer struck a mine in Azerbaijan’s Khojavend district in an area that has not yet been cleared of explosive hazards. Two men—37-year-old Sanan Farajev and 23-year-old Fuad Akhmedov—were injured. The incident was reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Prosecutor General's Office, and the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA).
The explosion occurred on August 12 near the village of Gyzylgaya. The bulldozer was being operated by Elchin Abbasov, a 65-year-old resident of the Gazakh district. Farajev and Akhmedov, who were nearby, were injured in the blast. Both men were taken to the Fuzuli Central District Hospital. Doctors found open wounds on the face and eyes of one man and abdominal abrasions on the other. After receiving medical attention, they were discharged for outpatient treatment.
The Khojavend District Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation into the incident. Azerbaijani authorities have once again urged the public to avoid entering unfamiliar areas, to heed warning signs and barriers, and to stay away from suspicious objects. The Khojavend district is among the areas where a mine threat persists following the hostilities.
This is not the first such incident in the Khojavend district. Previously, Ahad Ahadov, an employee of a private company, was injured by an anti-personnel mine while conducting humanitarian demining operations. He sustained shrapnel wounds and was hospitalized; his condition was later assessed as satisfactory. The incident served as a renewed reminder of the ongoing mine danger in territories that came under Azerbaijani control following the hostilities. Despite ongoing demining efforts, mines remain a threat to residents and workers, and also complicate the reconstruction of settlements and the return of formerly displaced persons.