At the heart of the conflict that has led br to dozens of deaths in the past weekbr is the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.br Nagorno-Karabakh is region br of Azerbaijan mostly comprised br of ethnic Armenians.br After the fall of the Soviet Union, br Nagorno-Karabakh declared independence from br Azerbaijan that has not been recognized internationally.br "Conflict has marked the region for the last three decades. The most recent is said to be the most severe since 1994.br We are definitely one step away from a large-scale war in the region." Olesya Vartanyan, International Crisis Group, via CBS News.br Turkey has backed Azerbaijan in the conflict.br Russia is allied militarily with Armenia, br though the nation has sold arms to both countries.br According to the Armenian br Ministry of Defense, one of the country's jets was shot down by a Turkish F-16.br F-16s in Turkey have been purchased from the U.S.br The U.S. has remained unusually br hands-off concerning the conflict.br "The flare-up can also be seen as a symptom of a world in which the U.S. is no longer acting to defuse br regional conflicts.