93 Syrian mercenaries fighting on the Azerbaijani side have been killed in the course of large-scale hostilities along the Nagorno-Karabakh line of contact, RIA Novosti reports citing sources in the Syrian opposition.

On October 4, the bodies of 53 fighters were reportedly sent back to Syria, after a third batch of some 430 mercenaries departed for the conflict zone on October 3-4.

Another source in the Syrian opposition has said there were 322 "well-equipped" Syrian mercenaries in Karabakh as of October 1.

French President Emmanuel Macron has demanded that Turkey explain the arrival of jihadist fighters in Azerbaijan. He said Friday, October 2 that intelligence reports have established that 300 Syrian fighters drawn from "jihadist groups" from the Syrian city of Aleppo had passed through Gaziantep in Turkey en route for Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan, with help from Turkey, launched a large-scale offensive against Karabakh (Artsakh) in the morning of September 27, shelling Armenian positions and civilian settlements with large caliber weapons and rocket systems. Armenia and Karabakh have introduced martial law and total mobilization. The Armenian side has reported deaths and injuries both among the civilian population and the military. International and local journalists too have been injured in Azeri shelling of civilian settlements.

Hayastan All-Armenian Fund has launched a fundraising campaign to support Nagorno-Karabakh amid Azerbaijan's aggression.