Karabakh war veteran receives death threats

A war veteran and former commander of the reconnaissance company of special purpose (RRSN) of the Ministry of Defense, Tofig Jafarov, is threatened with death for informing the public about the true circumstances of the elimination of the Armenian terrorist, Monte Melkonian, in June 1993. Jafarov announced this at a press conference in the Media Center of the Institute of Reporters Freedom and Safety (IRFS).

Threats against Jafarov come from persons associated with Ibad Huseynov, who claims he personally cut off the head of Melkonian during the raid.

Jafarov is also one of those who denies this and cites evidence that Melkonian was killed in the battle for the village of Marzili by a shot from an armored vehicle.

Jafarov said RRSN, under his command, was established by the order of the Chief of Staff on July 31, 1992. The objective was to observe with RRSN the 577th height and what happened in Khojavend (formerly Martuni) and its environs, the relocation of local military forces and enemy traffic. They were simultaneously tasked with monitoring of events in the neighboring 708th and 702nd Brigades of the Azerbaijani army in order to prevent provocations against them. The military compound N 161, where Ibad Huseynov served, was 7 km behind the RRSN. "Therefore, no special action against the enemy could be made without our knowledge. If some operations were planned, then we would know it," said Jafarov. According to him, the company had information that in this part of the front there is the famous Armenian terrorist nicknamed Avo, but the order to eliminate him has not been reported.

   Jafarov said Melkonian was killed during the military operation when liberating the Marzili village of Aghdam. This was confirmed by the deputy commander of the 708th Brigade, Umidvar Mirzoyev.

   According to him, along with several men, Melkonian drove a UAZ  car that was destroyed by the Azerbaijani armored vehicle. Melkonian jumped out and tried to hide behind a stone wall. However, a splinter from a shell fired from the armored vehicle dealt him a mortal wound on the head.

The armored vehicle crew that fired Melkonian's car consisted of three people. Two of them died heroically - Shaig Kyalbiev (from Bilasuvar) and Asaf Mutallimov (Neftchala). And the third, the then 19-year-old Azaddin Musayev, is alive and well and continues to serve.

"But then we did not know we had killed Melkonian. The corpses of Melkonian and others were in the neutral zone and neither Armenians nor ourselves could take them. Armenians took them in the morning. Then on the basis of radio intercepts and official confirmation by the Armenian side of the murder of Melkonian in the area, it became known that the men of our brigade managed to eliminate him," said Mirzoyev.

As regards Ibad Huseynov, he said he killed Melkonian in his native village Muganli in the Khojavend region.

The severed head, demonstrated by the distribution of a photo, belongs to an Armenian militant killed in 1992, while Melkonian was killed in 1993.

Jafarov said that the true purpose of the publication of these facts is not to allow falsification of the Karabakh war and a tribute to the memory of martyrs and recognition of veterans, whose heroism is assigned by others.

In this Jafarov said that he does not detract from the merits of Ibad Huseynov and his brothers Eyvaz, Abulfaz and Ilyas, who from the very beginning of the war took part in the fighting and were at the beginnings of self-defense detachment in Khojavend.

Jafarov said that he was against the "mafia group" that gathered around Huseynov and tried to make him a hero to use it for profits.

Thus, according to Jafarov, they want to establish a fund for Ibad Huseynov and make through it privileges to conduct business.

Jafarov was offered to stop making statement on Huseynov, promising him positions in Baku (Jafarov lives in the Agjabedi region) and material rewards.

In return for this Jafarov showed a fragment of the audio of this conversation.

But after Jafarov rejected these suggestions he was threatened with death and the murder of his family. And the calls came from mobile phones with open dial numbers.

Jafarov named specific names - Tahir Imamverdiyev, Akif Gasimov (operating officer) and Mohammed Gadirov (former military). These people were on that section of the front, but in the following years.

Jafarov addressed the Agjabedi police and was received by Deputy District Prosecutor, who told him that "threats are not investigated."

Jafarov also appealed to the Interior Ministry, but has not yet received a response.

In turn, Mirzoyev said that a group of former soldiers who served in the Aghdam-Fuzuli direction of the front asked the President to establish a commission to investigate the events in order to put an end to disputes between veterans.

In turn, a military expert and activist, Alekper Mamedov, condemned attempts to falsify the facts of the war by the assignment of merits of others or for glorification of anyone.

In addition, as noted by Mamedov, the severed head demonstrated in snapshots, only works for the enemy, because it can be used in the representation of Azerbaijanis as "bloodthirsty Muslim thugs, when in fact Armenians committed barbarism against Azerbaijanis and committed mass murder and genocide in Khojaly.

Mamedov called on state authorities to stop such false heroism. -06C -