Nagorno-Karabakh: Armenia accuses Azerbaijan of major attack

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According to Armenia, Azerbaijan's ground forces launched a large-scale attack in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict region on Saturday.

Three Azerbaijanis fighter planes were shot down.

Azerbaijan denied the downing of the planes and again announced that the city of Terter and several villages on its own territory had been shelled by Armenian forces.

For almost a week, the two warring states have been engaged in heavy fighting in the area.

Hundreds of people are said to have been killed.

Shots are said to have been fired again on Saturday in Stepanakert, the capital of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

Azerbaijani artillery fire destroyed several buildings here on Friday.

Nagorno-Karabakh belongs to Azerbaijan, but is controlled by Armenia.

The Christian Armenia receives help from Russia, the Muslim Azerbaijan is allied with Turkey.

Both parties to the conflict accuse each other of sending mercenaries into battle in the region.

International efforts to achieve a ceasefire have so far failed.

On Thursday Russia, France and the US offered to mediate in the conflict and called for a ceasefire.

Azerbaijan rejected the proposal and called on Armenia to first withdraw its troops from the disputed region.