U.S. congressman discusses Khojali tragedy in Congress

Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 28 / Trend E. Rustamov /

An U.S. congressman made a statement about the Khojali tragedy in Congress.

"On Feb. 26, 1992, Armenian armed forces attacked Khojali, Azerbaijan. Approximately 2,000 people - mostly women, children and the elderly - were killed, wounded or taken prisoner," Congressman Ed Whitfield said at the House of Representatives, the Azerbaijani Embassy in the U.S. told Trend .

On the night of Feb. 25-26, 1992, Armenian armed units, with the support of former armed forces' motorized fusiliers regiment No 366 located in Khankandi, attacked unarmed and defenseless Khojali town. The Armenian troops surrounded the town and opened a ruthless fire from artillery and heavy military equipment. Fire broke out in the town. Defenders and local population had to leave the blazing Khojali. Armenian invaders occupied the town by 5 o'clock in the morning on Feb. 26.

As a result of the massacre, 613 Azerbaijani citizens were killed. A total of 487 people were left disabled and 1,275 civilians were taken prisoner, tortured and insulted. The fate of 150 people remains unknown.

Whitfield's speech was made as part of the international "Justice for Khojali" campaign.

The campaign was launched by Leyla Aliyeva, OIC Youth Forum general coordinator for intercultural dialogue.

Appealing to U.S. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Whitfield delivered a detailed speech about the events in Khojali.

These were the bloodiest events in the modern history of the Caucasus and Caspian region, he said.