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| - Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed a ceasefire Tuesday after a string of Azeri victories in fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. The breakaway region of Azerbaijan, which is mainly inhabited by ethnic Armenians and backed by Yerevan, has been the scene of deadly combat since late September. Here is a timeline: Armenia and Azerbaijan, two former Soviet republics in the Caucasus, accused each other of starting deadly clashes that broke out on September 27, the latest in their decades-long territorial dispute. Ethnic Armenian separatists seized the Nagorno-Karabakh region from Azerbaijan in a 1990s war that claimed 30,000 lives. Since then, clashes have occurred repeatedly. Azerbaijan's defence ministry says it launched a "counter-offensive" to protect the population, while separatist authorities claim the regional capital Stepanakert has been bombed. Martial law is declared across Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan where President Ilham Aliyev imposes a curfew in Baku and several other cities. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a firm supporter of Azerbaijan, on September 28 calls on Armenia to end its "occupation" of Nagorno-Karabakh. The next day Armenia says a Turkish F-16 fighter jet that took off from Azerbaijan shot down an Armenian warplane. Turkey denies the claim. Moscow, which has a military alliance with Yerevan, urges Ankara not to "add fuel to the flames". The UN Security Council unanimously calls on both sides to stop fighting. On September 30, Russia says fighters from Syria and Libya are being deployed in the conflict. Turkey later denies it has sent them. Azerbaijan's leader vows to pursue military action until a full Armenian withdrawal from the disputed territory. On October 1, the presidents of France, Russia, and the US call for a ceasefire amid fears that both Moscow and Turkey could be drawn into the conflict. On October 2, Stepanakert comes under heavy shelling. On October 4, fighting intensifies, with Stepanakert and Ganja in western Azerbaijan under fire. On October 6, Armenia's premier Nikol Pashinyan says Turkey's encouragement of Azerbaijan is to blame for the fighting and is confident of Russian support. The following day, separatist authorities say half of the enclave's 140,000 inhabitants have been displaced. On October 8, the Ghazanchetsots (Holy Saviour) Cathedral, an iconic site for the Armenian Apostolic Church in Karabakh, is bombed. On October 10, after Russia-mediated talks, Armenia and Azerbaijan announce a ceasefire, but it is soon broken. On October 14, Yerevan says it reserves the right to hit any infrastructure or military sites anywhere in Azerbaijan. On October 15, Stepanakert suffers fresh bombardment. Two days later, Azerbaijan vows to avenge the deaths of 13 civilians in an overnight missile strike on Ganja. Armenian separatists justify their riposte by accusing Baku of targeting civilian infrastructure. On October 18 a new humanitarian truce is immediately breached. Armenia and Azerbaijan again blame each other. After the UN calls for respect of a ceasefire, Armenia's prime minister on October 21 rules out a diplomatic solution. The following day Russian President Vladimir Putin says the death toll in more than three weeks of fighting is "nearing 5,000". On October 26, a third ceasefire collapses. On October 31, the Armenian prime minister asks Putin for help. Moscow says it is ready to provide "necessary" assistance to Armenia if fighting spreads into Armenian territory. Baku says it has no intention of launching a military attack on Armenia. On November 2, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet raises the possibility that war crimes have been committed during "indiscriminate" attacks against civilian populations. On November 8, Azerbaijan claims its troops have captured Shusha, Nagorno-Karabakh's second biggest town, in what would be a major victory. Armenia denies the claim, but says fighting is ongoing. The following day Azerbaijan apologises for shooting down a Russian military helicopter on its border with Armenia. Less than 24 hours later Putin brokers a peace deal which he says is "a total ceasefire", with Armenia's premier admitting on Tuesday that the deal is "painful". Azerbaijan says Armenia has capitulated, with its ally Turkey claiming it has won "significant gains". Angry protesters storm Armenia's government headquarters. kd-acm-fg/txw
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