Five years passed since April victory of Azerbaijani Army

Today marks the next anniversary of the April battles between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Report informs that five years have passed since the April battles that ended up with the victory of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.

Armenians had intensively violated ceasefire since mid-March 2016. Starting from the night of April 2, all frontline positions of the Azerbaijani Army and settlements underwent intensive enemy fire. As a result, Armenians resorted to armed provocations on troops' contact lines from April 2 to April 5. The civilian population was also attacked during the provocations. Azerbaijani service members were martyred in these events, and there were civilians among those dead and injured.

Azerbaijani Army responded with retaliatory fire on the Armenian positions during the battles; over 2000 hectares of lands were liberated by a prompt counter-attack, and more areas were taken under control from an operational viewpoint. In order to defend Horadiz city from the enemy, "Lele tepe" height of strategic importance in the direction of the Fuzuli region was taken under control by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. 320 Armenian servicemen were killed in the clashes, over 500 were injured.

On April 19, 2016, a group of Azerbaijani servicemen was awarded high honorary titles, orders, and medals under relevant orders of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, for remarkable heroism and bravery while protecting the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, preventing the armed provocations of Armenian occupants, committed on the contact line of the troops from April 2 to April 5, 2016, as well as the enemy's attacks on the civilians.

The awarded for their service to the Homeland are those who have been got the title of "National Hero of Azerbaijan", "Flag of Azerbaijan" and "For Service to Motherland", "For Homeland", "For Courage," and "For Military Service".

Construction and restoration works have been completed in the liberated Jojug Marjanli village of the Jabrayil region. A mosque was built in the area, and the religious community of Cocuq Marjanli village mosque is functioning.

In the April battles, the Azerbaijani Army showed its strength to the enemy. As a result, on September 27, 2020, the glorious Azerbaijani Army, under Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev's leadership, launched a counteroffensive operation to liberate the lands occupied by the Armenian armed forces for almost 30 years. During the 44-day fighting, five cities, four settlements, and 286 villages were liberated.

The Jabrayil city and 90 villages of the region, Fuzuli city and 53 villages, Zangilan city, Minjivan, Agband, Bartaz settlements and 52 villages of the area, Hadrut settlement and 35 villages of Khojavend, three villages of Tartar, Gubadli city and 41 villages, nine villages of Khojaly, Shusha city, three villages of Lachin region, as well as several strategic heights in the direction of Aghdara and Murovdagh, and Bartaz, Sigirt, Shukurataz heights in Zangilan and five more unnamed peaks were freed from occupation.

On November 10, the President of Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister of Armenia, and the President of Russia signed an agreement on a complete cessation of hostilities in the conflict zone. According to the statement, Aghdam was peacefully returned to Azerbaijan on November 20, 2020, Kalbajar on November 25, 2020, and Lachin on December 1, 2020. Thus, Azerbaijan's territorial integrity has been ensured, and the Karabakh conflict has been left behind.