Azerbaijan Ethnic Clashes Leave 3 Dead, 6 Wounded

Clashes between feuding ethnic groups in Azerbaijan left three people dead and six wounded, including three soldiers hurt while trying to halt riots, the Foreign Ministry and official media said today.

News accounts from the neighboring republic of Armenia reported deaths there as well but gave no details.

The renewed unrest came despite a Kremlin effort to restore order. The effort included directives to party and government leaders to stop the violence, establishment of a program of aid to more than 180,000 refugees and threats to fire and prosecute officials who allow workers to be fired for ethnic reasons.

The deaths in Azerbaijan raised the toll in the last three weeks of unrest to at least 31.

“Three people were killed, but not as a result of clashes with law enforcement agencies,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Vadim Perfiliev told a news briefing.

“Six people were wounded, including three servicemen,” Perfiliev added. He said the deaths took place in Azerbaijan but he did not say when they occurred or provide other details.