KHOJALY, Azerbaijan, January 31. Another group of former internally displaced persons (IDPs) has arrived in Azerbaijan's Khojaly district, Trend reports.
Today, 22 families (94 former IDPs) returned home in the district's Ballija village.
For over 30 years, these families had been residing in different locations of Azerbaijan, primarily in governmental buildings, sanatoriums, and dormitories.
In accordance with the instructions of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the process of relocation of former IDPs to the liberated territories continues as part of the Great Return state program.
To recall, during the night of February 25-26, 1992, the Armenian Armed Forces, alongside the 366th Motorized Rifle Regiment of Russia, seized control of the city of Khojaly, resulting in a genocide against the local Azerbaijani population. The Khojaly genocide resulted in the deaths of 613 citizens, comprising 63 children, 106 women, and 70 elderly individuals. 1,275 individuals were captured. The status of 150 individuals captured, comprising 68 women and 26 children, remains unknown to this day. The city was liberated following local anti-terrorist operations executed on September 19-20, 2023, by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.
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