Armenian troops alongside allied Karabakh separatist forces clashed with Azerbaijani troops Feb. 25 in the Khojavend-Fizuli sector of the Nagorno-Karabakh line of contact, the military zone that separates their respective positions, leaving around five Azerbaijani soldiers dead, local sources indicated along with AFP. The bodies of the Azerbaijani troops reportedly remain in the neutral zone between the two sides. Separatist officials said that the fighting had left the local Azerbaijani brigade's head of intelligence dead. Some reports suggest that the fighting began when Azerbaijani reconaissance units launched a limited operation targeting the southeastern and eastern sections of the line of contact. Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defense, however, accused separatist forces of initiating the clashes in hopes of improving their positions. Later in the evening, Azerbaijani forces claim to have downed an Armenian surveillance drone.