20 years of the defeat of Armenians in Horadiz

Twenty years  passed  since  one of the most successful military operations of the armed forces of Azerbaijan in the Karabakh war.

On 5-6 January, 1994 grouping of  the National Army of Azerbaijan held a successful counterattack in southern Karabakh , freeing Horadiz and 20 villages of Fizuli region, as well as two villages  in Jabrail  region. As a result, the Armenian troops were dropped by 25 km and  had serious losses. 

According to the press service of the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan, by 19:00 on January 6th Azerbaijani army repulsed the offensive attack by the Armenian forces on the Agdam- Beilagan sector of the front. As a result of fierce and bloody fighting, the enemy  had heavy losses in manpower and equipment, retreated , leaving the villages: Ashagy

Yaglyvend, Kerimbeyli , Shukyurbeyli , as well as an important hub - Horadiz in Fizuli.

Azerbaijani army regained control over 40 km of the Azerbaijani- Iranian border (total 170 km Armenians seized Azerbaijani- Iranian border.) Armenian losses during these battles were: 8 tanks, howitzers, 7 , 12 units of anti- art, 6 trucks, 3 cars, and a large quantity of ammunition and small arms.

From 9 December 1993 to January 6, 1994 on this site Armenians lost 500 officers and men, 32 tanks, BMP 7,5 vehicles, 10 guns and howitzers, and 6 mortars. Azerbaijani sappers destroyed more than 3,000 minutes.

Then the Azerbaijani National Army managed to capture two anti- complex " Sturm-C", which  is the development of the Russian military-industrial complex. The complex "Storm - From" was  not in service with the 7th Russian army, which until the summer of 1992, the year was stationed on the territory of Armenia. This means that this type of modern weapons was obtained  by the Armenian army from Russia recently, and immediately used against Azerbaijan.

According to military expert Uzeir Jafarov, who was then deputy brigade commander , the enemy launched an offensive along the Azerbaijan-Iran border and came to the village Dashburun Beylagan region. However, Azerbaijani troops repulsed the attack.

Armenians then changed tactics and launched an attack on the district center Beylagan , while several villages were captured  in Fizuli region. In this situation, it was decided to counter-attack.  To this section of the front during the day were transferred  a unit from Tartar direction under Colonel Yashar Aidamirova (now General.)

On January 5, Azerbaijani troops attacked, catching the enemy by surprise, and turned it into a stampede. This operation was called "Horadiz." In  that operation special merits belonged  to Generals Arif Salakhov (now deceased) and Mikail Bayramov, who headed the two directions of impact. General guidance  was exercised  by a brigade commander Genetal Shahin Ramaldanov.

Together with the army units  in the operation participated  internal forces led by the commander Ramiz Mammadov and commander of the unit Mamed Hajiyev.

However, the operation was terminated due to the political decision of the leadership of the country, said Jafarov. If this had not happened, the enemy could  have  a devastating blow, affecting the outcome of the war.

In any case, the  "Horadiz operation" had an important moral and psychological significance and demonstrated the strength of the Azerbaijani regular army after the failures of 1993, and strengthened the Azerbaijani society in the ability to resist Armenian aggression. -06B-