Enormous rally as 100,000 in LA as Armenians protest Azeri, Turkish aggression

Over 100,000 Armenian-Americans took the streets in Los Angeles on October 12 to protest the Azeri and Turkish aggression in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Over 100,000 Armenian-Americans took the streets in Los Angeles on October 12 to protest the Azeri and Turkish aggression in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Adam Schiff, Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, took the stage and called on the US government to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijani and Armenian forces have exchanged heavy rocket and artillery fire ever since the conflict started September 27, with each side accusing the other of targeting civilian areas.

The dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan, two former Soviet Republics, stems over control of the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh.

Armenia's denied it directed fire “of any kind” toward Azerbaijan; Azerbaijani authorities said they'd taken “retaliatory measures.” Turkey has sent in Syrian religious fighters to support Azerbaijani Muslims, according to Armenia's Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Turkey has disputed these claims publicly.

Populated and controlled by ethnic Armenians, and aided by the Armenian diaspora, Nagorno-Karabakh sits inside Azerbaijani territory and is connected to Armenia proper by a highway.

Nagorno-Karabakh is heavily militarized and its forces have been backed by Armenia, which has a security alliance with Russia.

Azerbaijan, who has close ethnic and religious ties to Turkey, has long claimed it will retake the territory.

A war over the region ensued in 1994 between Azerbaijanis and Armenians, and the current conflict is the most severe it's been since then, despite back-and-forth battles throughout the years.

In 1915, over 1.5 million Armenians died during the Armenian Genocide, killings that were carried out by the Ottoman Empire.