Special forces member who blows himself up to avoid being captured by enemy

Azerbaijani soldiers and officers martyred in the 44-day Patriotic War wrote their names in golden letters in the country's modern history. Among them is Aliyev Karim Mahammadali, awarded the Azerbaijani Flag Order.

He was born on August 31, 1998, in Alpout village of the Ujar district. He graduated from secondary school in this village.

In 2016-2018, he completed full-term active military service in the ranks of the Azerbaijan Armed Forces. Later, he served as a warrant officer in the Special Forces of the Ministry of Defense.

On September 27, 2020, Karim, who participated in the battles for the liberation of Azerbaijani territories, showed bravery in liberating the cities of Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Zangilan, Argunash hill, Hadrut settlement, as well as clearing the dominant heights in the direction of the Lachin corridor.

Aliyev's last battle was for the liberation of Gubadli on October 19. He fought heroically against the enemy and were martyred. On October 24, he was buried in a cemetery in his native village.

By the relevant orders of the President of Azerbaijan, Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, Karim Aliyev was awarded the Azerbaijani Flag Order, For the Liberation of Jabrayil medal, For the Liberation of Fuzuli medal, For the Liberation of Khojavand medal, For the Homeland medal, and For Heroism medal.

His friends talk about Karim's bravery, fearlessness, courage, and heroism in the war and remember him as a brave warrior.

Ayar Abbasov, a former officer of the Special Forces of the Ministry of Defense, and a veteran of the Patriotic War, also fought shoulder-to-shoulder with Aliyev. The warpath of both started at the same time from the direction of the Garakhanbayli village of the Fuzuli district.

Abbasov told Report that Karim entered all battles enthusiastically and fought in this mood until the end.

He remembers Aliyev as a brave, fearless, and at the same time cheerful person.

"He was an amusing person and had a strong sense of humor. Even in heavy battles, he did not stop joking. He managed to create great enthusiasm in his comrades-in-arms," Abbasov said.

According to him, on September 27, 2020, when the Azerbaijani Army started counter-offensive operations against the enemy, they started fighting from the direction of the Garakhanbayli village of Fuzuli. The veteran of the Patriotic War noted that the Armenians had concentrated a lot of military equipment and manpower in this direction:

"Very fierce, heavy battles were going on. Our group commander, Captain Kamil Shirinov, was martyred there. Kamil and Karim were very close friends. Karim could not come to terms with Kamil's absence. Karim promised to fight to the last drop of blood to avenge Kamil. We fought there for 4 days. We had one martyr, and 18 were wounded. Later, on October 2, we joined the battle for the liberation of Jabrayil from the direction of Lalatape. Our army dealt crushing blows to the enemy. The enemy was in a panic."

Abbasov said that after staying in Jabrayl for 3 days, they cleared the lands again in the direction of Lalatape, alongside Araz River, and left for Hadrut. There were also fierce battles in Hadrut, located between two mountains:

"The Armenians, stationed on heights, were using all their weapons and keeping us under fire. It was quite difficult to enter the area. Armenians did not want to surrender. But we managed to achieve what we wanted. With a group of 12 people, we started moving toward the direction of the Armenian air defense system. In this battle, we captured the enemy's anti-aircraft defense system, one UAZ, and one Ural vehicle and destroyed one colonel, one captain, and 11 soldiers. This heroism shown by Karim was immediately reported to the headquarters."

Shamil Mammadov, another comrade-in-arms of the martyr, a veteran of the Special Forces, said that his last fight with Karim was in the direction of the Gubadli district. This time, the most challenging task was to take the height called 720 in the Khojavand district:

"We have been observing there since October 16. Based on the intelligence information, we confirmed that a large enemy troop was stationed there. About 600 people were deployed. They fired at us using mortars and heavy weapons. I was seriously injured by a shell, and Karim was also injured. When he wanted to go forward, I pulled his arm towards the trench and told him that he was wounded. He said, "the guys are ahead. I can't leave them alone". Having said this, he ran forward. Karim, who ran out of bullets in an unequal battle, was wounded in both legs and sheltered in a trench. Several enemy soldiers running toward him were excited to capture the special forces. Patiently waiting for them to come close to him, Karim pulled the only 2 grenades on him, blown up about 10 Armenians, and were martyred."