Military Tactics and Humanitarian Consequences in Nagorno-Karabakh and Kashmir Conflicts

Abstract

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, rooted in ethnic and territorial disputes between Armenia and Azerbaijan, flared up in the late 1980s, with both sides vying for control of the region. After years of intermittent fighting and a ceasefire in 1994, the conflict remained unresolved, leading to the 2020 war. The war ended with a Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement, granting Azerbaijan control over most of the region, though the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh remains uncertain. In contrast, the Kashmir conflict, which has its roots in the partition of India in 1947, continues to simmer between India and Pakistan, both claiming the region in full but each controlling only parts of it. The situation remains unresolved despite numerous efforts at peace talks and international mediation, with military confrontations periodically escalating. The similarities between these conflicts include territorial disputes, ethnic and religious dimensions, foreign interventions and the humanitarian consequences that affect civilians in both regions. Recent literature (2020-2024) on the conflicts highlights the ongoing military tactics, including the use of drone warfare, artillery bombardments and the targeting of civilian infrastructure, while emphasizing the devastating humanitarian toll, including displacement, casualties and human rights violations. Authors such as Kucuk and Aliyev (2022) and Sharma and Zahid (2023), have explored these dimensions in their works. The research questions for this paper include: What are the similarities in the military tactics employed by the conflicting parties in both Nagorno-Karabakh and Kashmir? How have the humanitarian consequences of these conflicts evolved over time? What role do international actors play in shaping the outcomes of these territorial disputes?