Despite shelling, residents of Azerbaijani frontline areas stay in their villages

Villagers of the Terter and Goranboy Districts of Azerbaijan report that they continue their field and garden works, despite the shelling.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on October 24, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence (MoD) stated that militaries of Nagorno-Karabakh had used mortars and artillery to shell frontline villages of the Terter and Barda Districts. According to the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), as a result of the shelling, about 90,000 residents of Nagorno-Karabakh have left their homes.

Valyaddin Zamanov, an eyewitness to the death of a teenager in the village of Kyabirli, said that the tragedy happened when the villagers were gathering persimmons in the garden. "Suddenly a shell fell and exploded. A 16-year-old boy was killed by its fragments. He also gathered persimmons, helping his parents ... No one else was hurt, but all the villagers were shocked by the death of the young man," Mr Zamanov has stated.

Despite the tragic incident, none of the villagers intend to leave their homes, the man has stressed. "We grieve for the dead fellow villager, but life goes on – everyone will continue working in fields and gardens," he said.

Fariz Aslanov, a resident of the Tapgaragoyunlu village of the Goranboy District, said that the shells were falling there for the second day in a row. Despite the shelling, the gas supply to the village resumed after a week's break, he has added.

According to his story, villagers continue doing their everyday work.