[LINK] "Armenia warns Azeris over helicopter shooting"

[rfmcdonald]

Al Jazeera notes that Armenia and Azerbaijan are nearing war, after Azerbaijan shot down an Armenian military helicopter on the Karabakh border.

Wednesday's development will fuel fears of a major escalation of the long-standing conflict over Nagorny Karabakh, a region of Azerbaijan controlled by ethnic Armenians.

The downing is the most serious military incident along the Karabakh frontier since the 1994 ceasefire that ended a bloody war that cost 30,000 lives over the disputed region.

Armenian media reported that the helicopter's three crew members were all killed.

"A MI-24 combat helicopter attempted to attack positions of the Azerbaijani army near [Karabakh's] Agdam district," Azerbaijan's Defence Ministry said in a statement.

"The helicopter has been shot down by the Azerbaijani army."