BAKU, Azerbaijan ,March 05 , SPA --Officials in Azerbaijan andArmenia made conflicting casualty claims Wednesday afterclashes near the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, AP reported. Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry accused the Armenian forcesof starting the fighting Tuesday and said three of itsservicemen had been killed and one wounded. Ministryspokesman Eldar Sabiroglu said 12 Armenian soldiers hadbeen killed and another 15 were wounded during severalhours of skirmishes. Sabiroglu said that fighting ceased shortly aftermidnight. A military spokesman for ethnic Armenian forces inNagorno-Karabakh, Senor Asratian, said late Tuesday thateight Azerbaijani soldiers had been killed and two of theseparatist region's soldiers wounded in clashes northeastof the region. The clashes came as Azerbaijan's president, Ilham Aliev,issued his latest suggestion that his country could useforce to regain control over Nagorno-Karabakh. The regionis inside Azerbaijan but _ along with some surroundingterritory _ has been under ethnic Armenian control since a1994 cease-fire ended a six-year war. Statements by officials on both sides suggested thefighting was heavier than most of the skirmishes thatintermittently break out along a cease-fire line dividingterritory held by rival forces. --SPA www.spa.gov.sa/533395