Azerbaijani forces have been deliberately setting fire to wheat fields belonging to the residents of an Armenian village near the border, Pastinfo cited a local official as saying on Monday, August 9.

The head of the village of Agarak in Syunik province, Hayk Sahakyan, said the villagers can see the Azerbaijanis burning the area on purpose. He said the fire has reached the fields belonging to the locals, and that they were unable to extinguish it.

The town chief revealed on Monday that the Azeris burned 16 ha of land within two days. According to him, the villagers had fortunately managed to harvest the wheat, but more work was needed to prepare and maintain the soil for sowing. The hay and the fodder were gone too, he added.

Firefighters have been working in the village but some 40 families have already suffered from Azerbaijan's provocation, Sahakyan said.