BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 17. Today is Fuzuli City Day. The establishment of this significant day is associated with the history of the liberation of Fuzuli from the Armenian occupation.
It has been 4 years since the liberation of the city from the Armenian invaders. The battles for the city of Fuzuli, which lasted from September 27 to October 17, 2020, fell on the most difficult period of the 44-day Patriotic War.
The enemy, forced to leave the territory, suffered significant losses in manpower and equipment. As a result of military operations, the commander of the engineer-sapper regiment of the Armenian Army, Colonel Ashot Gazaryan, was eliminated.
An officer of the Azerbaijani Army, who participated in the military operations to liberate the city of Fuzuli and the adjacent heights, honored the memory of his comrades who died during the battles, shared his memories of the military operations carried out.
"On September 27, the Azerbaijani Army, by the order of the victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief, carried out a counter-offensive operation, preventing the advance of the Armenian Army. During this operation, the front line was broken through from the village of Alkhanli and an operation was launched in the direction of the Fuzuli district. Thanks to the heroism of our army, we achieved our goal and, having broken the enemy, liberated several villages of the Fuzuli district. After liberating the villages, we began moving towards Mount Mangalanata, we had to liberate this height, since this territory was of great strategic importance," the officer said.
The breakthrough of several defense lines in the Fuzuli direction created ample opportunities for the advance of the Azerbaijani Army along the southern front. Before the final phase of the battles for the city of Fuzuli, on October 16, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces liberated the villages of Agbulag, Akhullu and Khirmanjig of the Khojavend region from occupation. Before the liberation of the city, it had already been surrounded by the Azerbaijani Army from several directions.
On the night of October 16-17, a fierce battle for the city of Fuzuli began. As a result of continuous battles, the glorious Azerbaijani Army completely liberated the Fuzuli villages of Gochakhmedli, Chiman, Musabeyli, Pirahmedli, Dedeli, Ishigly, Juvarly and the city of Fuzuli from occupation.
Military commentator Ramil Mammadli noted that the liberation of the city of Fuzuli and the heights of Mangalanata led to the blocking of the enemy's supply routes.
"Around October 4-5, the Azerbaijani Army began military operations in the Hadrut and Fuzuli directions. The period after October 7-9, after the liberation of Hadrut and the Argunesh heights, passing through the Jabrayil region, can be regarded as the beginning of the operation to liberate Fuzuli. In fact, the Azerbaijani Army intended to liberate Fuzuli from occupation even earlier. But, as is known, the city of Fuzuli and the surrounding settlements were part of the first and second echelons of enemy defense, and the Azerbaijani Army, taking these factors into account and wasting no time, liberated Hadrut and the Argunesh heights from occupation. Thanks to this, it was possible to block the enemy's supply routes between Krasny Bazar, Shusha, Khankendi and Fuzuli. The second stage consisted in blocking the supply routes between Fuzuli and the settlement of Hadrut, and liberating these territories from occupation. This was facilitated by the liberation of the Mangalanata heights. Thus, Gargabazar and the city of Fuzuli were taken under complete control," he said.
The Fuzuli operation was one of the most important battles of the Azerbaijani Army during the Second Karabakh War on the southeastern front. The breakthrough of several defense lines located on the former contact line in Fuzuli created ample opportunities for the advancement of the Azerbaijani Army along the southern front. The liberation of the region was of strategic importance during the Patriotic War. Just 6 days after our Victory - on November 16, 2020 - President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva visited the Fuzuli district liberated from occupation. The head of state hoisted the glorious Flag of Azerbaijan in the city of Fuzuli.
