Today marks the next anniversary of the April battles between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Report informs that seven years have passed since the April battles that ended up with the victory of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.
Armenians had intensively violated the ceasefire since mid-March 2016. Starting from the night of April 2, all frontline positions of the Azerbaijani Army and settlements came under intensive enemy fire. As a result, Armenians resorted to armed provocations on troops' contact lines from April 2 to April 5. The civilian population was also attacked during the provocations. Azerbaijani service members were martyred in these events, and there were civilians among the dead and injured.
The Azerbaijani Army responded with retaliatory fire on the Armenian positions during the battles; over 2,000 hectares of land were liberated by a prompt counter-attack, and more areas were taken under control from an operational viewpoint. The heights around the village of Talish, which could pose a threat to the Goranboy district and the city of Naftalan have been completely cleared of enemy forces. In order to defend Horadiz city from the enemy, "Lele tepe" height of strategic importance in the direction of the Fuzuli district was taken under control by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. 320 Armenian servicemen were killed and over 500 injured in the clashes.
On April 19, 2016, a group of Azerbaijani servicemen was awarded high honorary titles, orders, and medals under relevant orders of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, for remarkable heroism and bravery while protecting the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, preventing the armed provocations of Armenian occupants, committed on the contact line of the troops from April 2 to April 5, 2016, as well as the enemy's attacks on the civilians. The awarded for their service to the Homeland are those who have been got the titles of "National Hero of Azerbaijan", "Flag of Azerbaijan" and "For Service to Motherland", "For Homeland", "For Courage," and "For Military Service".
Construction and restoration works have been completed in the liberated Jojug Marjanli village of the Jabrayil district. A mosque was built in the area, and the religious community of Cocuq Marjanli village mosque is functioning.
In the April battles, the Azerbaijani Army showed its strength to the enemy. As a result, on September 27, 2020, the glorious Azerbaijani Army, under Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev's leadership, launched a counteroffensive operation to liberate the lands occupied by the Armenian armed forces for almost 30 years. During the 44-day fighting, five cities, four settlements, and 286 villages were liberated. The Jabrayil city and 90 villages of the district, Fuzuli city and 53 villages, Zangilan city, Minjivan, Agband, Bartaz settlements and 52 villages of the area, Hadrut settlement and 35 villages of Khojavend, three villages of Tartar, Gubadli city and 41 villages, nine villages of Khojaly, Shusha city, three villages of Lachin district, as well as several strategic heights in the direction of Aghdara and Murovdagh, and Bartaz, Sigirt, Shukurataz heights in Zangilan and five more unnamed peaks were freed from occupation.
On November 10, the President of Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister of Armenia, and the President of Russia signed an agreement on a complete cessation of hostilities in the conflict zone. According to the statement, Aghdam was peacefully returned to Azerbaijan on November 20, 2020, Kalbajar on November 25, 2020, and Lachin on December 1, 2020. Thus, Azerbaijan's territorial integrity has been ensured, and the Karabakh conflict has been left behind.
The Farrukh village of Khojaly district, which is part of the Karabakh economic region, and the surrounding highlands came under the full control of Azerbaijan in late March 2022. According to a tripartite statement signed by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Russia, and Armenia on November 10, 2020, the village was under the control of Russian peacekeeping forces. However, as 30 years ago, illegal Armenian armed groups started firing at the positions of the Azerbaijani Army from Farrukh. The Azerbaijani Army has launched an operation and cleared the area of illegal militants.
In August 2022, the Azerbaijani Army carried out an anti-terrorist operation against illegal Armenian armed groups in the territory of Azerbaijan, where the Russian peacekeeping contingent is temporarily stationed. As a result of the retaliatory operation "Revenge" carried out by the units of the Azerbaijani Army, the Girkhgiz, as well as Saribaba heights along the Karabakh ridge of the Lesser Caucasus and a number of other important commanding heights, were taken under control.
As a result of the clashes that took place on September 13-14 last year due to the provocation of Armenia, the other side lost hundreds of lives and destroyed its equipment. These battles resulted in Armenia's retreat.
Last month, in regard to the commissioning of the new Lachin road, several heights, main and auxiliary roads between the Jaghazur and Zabukh villages of the Lachin district, as well as large areas along the border, were taken under the control of the Azerbaijani army units.