Liberation gained through Iron Fist: Servicemen talk about Aghdam’s liberation

"At the time of the (Sep 27 – Nov 10, 2020 - ed.) patriotic war, our major task was to attract main forces of the enemy towards us and thus provide other types of the Azerbaijani troops with opportunities to conduct successful operations. Furthermore, our task was to mislead enemy forces and facilitate attacks of the Azerbaijani troops in other directions," Azerbaijani Army Major Ramin Nazarov told in an interview with Report in Aghdam.

In his words, thanks to the successful policy and generalship of triumphant Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, the Azerbaijani Army entered Aghdam on this day last year (November 20).

“After that, as a result of the attention and care of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, new modular dormitories were built for our military personnel. With this, the moral and psychological state and living conditions of the military personnel have improved. I want to reassure our people and our state that the Azerbaijani lands will not ever be let trampled upon under feet of alien forces. We will not allow it. We knew that we would defeat the enemy, destroy and drive them away from our lands. To bring this about, our military personnel was instilled with love for the state and the nation, and hatred for the enemy."

Ramin Nazarov said that the enemy had built nothing new in Aghdam: "But they widely used engineering and fortification facilities, landmines, pits and trenches. We witnessed this when we entered Aghdam."

The Azerbaijani Army officer said his eyes filled with tears when he entered Aghdam: "I looked at houses that were blown up and destroyed. Then I visited our mosque. The enemies had ruined our mosque and kept cattle there. Although I was indignant at it, I was glad that we set foot on the liberated lands. At present, our service is properly organized here. We are proud to serve in the liberated territories."

Another serviceman of the Azerbaijani Army serving in X military unit in Aghdam District, senior lieutenant Elchin Musayev, recalled that the patriotic war began on September 27, 2020: "The main task of our units was to concentrate the enemy forces in the direction of Aghdam and to create conditions for our troops to conduct successful operations in other directions. The liberation of Aghdam is a historic event for our people and state. As a result of the successful policy of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, Aghdam District was liberated from the enemy through political means without military operations. At present, our units are stationed in the liberated territories of Aghdam. The moral and psychological condition of the personnel serving here is at a high level. I am proud to serve in the liberated Aghdam as an officer of the Azerbaijani Army.”

Senior sergeant Yasin Aliyev stressed that the enemy initially thought that the Azerbaijani Army would attack from the direction of Aghdam: "For this, Armenians concentrated special artillery, air defense and motorized infantry in this direction."

He said he took part in military operations on three fronts during the war: “The most successful and memorable for me are the battles in the Aghdam direction. Our important and precise task was to destroy the first line of enemy's defense and to draw their forces here from their additional positions. Thanks to the bravery and heroism of our army, the enemy could not withstand us. We built a strong defense here and prevented the Armenian attacks at three different times. At that time, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces attacked from other directions of the front and managed to liberate our lands from occupation."

The senior sergeant said the Azerbaijani state highly assessed his bravery in the battles: "The president awarded me For the Liberation of Aghdam, For Distinguished Service and For Courage medals. I am proud of my participation in the 44-day patriotic war," he said.

Today marks the first anniversary of Aghdam’s liberation from the occupation of the Armenian Armed Forces. In line with the November 10, 2020 Trilateral Statement signed by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Aghdam District was returned to Azerbaijan on November 20. On the same day, units of the Azerbaijani Army entered the district and Azerbaijan’s national flag was hoisted in Aghdam.