Special forces of Azerbaijan - legendary warriors of the 44-day war

The Special Forces of Azerbaijan celebrated their birthday on April 30.

The Azerbaijani special forces became a legend after the 44-day Patriotic War. The main victories of the liberation war are associated with his name, and the Shusha operation has already been included in the textbooks of military institutes in different countries of the world. 

In June 2023, presenting a Battle flag to one of their units, the Commander-in-Chief of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, Ilham Aliyev, said that the number of special forces had increased many times after the 44-day war. According to the head of state, special forces are a big force and they have one goal - to protect our territory, ensure its territorial integrity and, in the event of a threat to our security, deliver crushing blows to enemy forces.

The Azerbaijani special forces have fulfilled and continue to fulfill this task.

The Special Forces were established in 1999 by decree of national leader Heydar Aliyev. These units of the Azerbaijani Army, united under a single command, were formed in close cooperation with the Turkish Armed Forces and the Turkish Special Forces. Today, President Ilham Aliyev pays special attention to the Special Forces.

Special forces is considered one of the elite units, in the good sense of the word. To be eligible to serve in the special forces, a soldier must possess many qualities and skills, undergo difficult selection and serious training. Special tasks are assigned to special forces, special hopes are pinned on them, special results are expected from special forces.

For the first time, the Azerbaijani special forces made themselves known during the April 2016 fighting. The opponent unexpectedly encountered a large force and ran. On the fields of the Patriotic War of 2020, the special forces demonstrated not only professionalism, but also high fortitude and incredible courage. Foreign military experts are still continuing to analyze how a small group of special forces, who did not have serious weapons with them, managed to carry out an operation that, in their professional opinion, was considered impossible. The Azerbaijani special forces did the impossible by liberating Shusha, after which the complete defeat of the occupier became inevitable.

For their heroism and possessions, many commandos were presented with orders and medals.

Today, the Special Forces of Azerbaijan are one of the most equipped units with modern weapons. New units are being opened, and all the necessary conditions for training are being created. In the post-war period, the process of army construction continues and includes, among other things, special forces. In 2021, commando units were established in Azerbaijan.

On April 30, 2022, President, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev, on the occasion of the 23rd anniversary of the creation of the special forces, visited the military unit of the Special Forces of the Ministry of Defense and addressed the personnel.

"The special forces have great merit in our Victory in the Patriotic War. As the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, I know this and have told the Azerbaijani public about it. The entire Azerbaijani people know this, and so does the enemy. The liberation of our villages from the first days of the war shocked the enemy. They did not believe that the Azerbaijani army, having broken through five or six defensive lines with its chest, shedding blood, and sacrificing the lives of martyrs, would be able to win a historic victory," the head of state told the commandos.

The President noted that everyone who comes to Shusha today wonders how the sons of Azerbaijan managed to take this impregnable fortress. "Whenever I approach Shusha on the Victory Road and see these steep cliffs, you stand in front of my eyes. How this impregnable fortress was taken - with light weapons, in street battles, hand-to-hand. The Armenians, who were on top of the mountain opposite, armed to the teeth with guns and tanks, turned out to be helpless in front of you. And your strength, and your will, and your professionalism, and your love for the Motherland. You fought for your homeland in your native land. The occupying enemy would not be able to resist you on Azerbaijani soil," the President said, adding that the Armenian armed forces begin to tremble with fear at the mere mention of Azerbaijani special forces.

Taking into account the importance of army construction, additional funds were allocated after the Second Karabakh War and the number of Azerbaijani special forces was doubled. The training of special forces units was taken under special control. The selection process for these units has become tougher than before. Despite this, there is no shortage of those who want to serve in the legendary special forces.

In December 2021, President Ilham Aliyev visited the village of Hadrut in the Khojavend region, where he took part in the opening of a military unit of the newly created commando brigade and made a number of important statements. At the opening of the new military unit, the head of state noted that not one, not two, but many commando brigades are already being created in Azerbaijan, which are capable of performing any military task, which will significantly increase the power of our army.

Commando units are designed to perform special tasks in the interests of the ground forces. They have the ability to perform special tasks in parallel on land, on water and in the air, in difficult climatic and geographical conditions both in the area of responsibility of the ground forces and in the enemy's rear. Our commandos were trained in Turkiye - a 6-week Mountain Commando School course at the Isparta Training Center (Turkiye) and a Mountain Commando course. The main feature of these formations is the absence of heavy armored vehicles, as well as a more advanced course in mining and special training of personnel. According to military experts, it was the light infantry units that provided the advantage of the Azerbaijani army during the 44-day war.

"Our children who have received good training, demonstrated high will and are ready to give their lives for their Homeland will serve in these brigades. This will greatly enhance the power of our army. I want to say once again that there will be many such brigades, thousands of our servicemen will serve in them. Thus, the Azerbaijani army will continue to maintain its professionalism and high morale," President Ilham Aliyev said at the opening ceremony of the unit.

The Azerbaijani special forces became a terror to the occupiers during the 44-day war. It seems that the memories of the battles remain the horror of Armenian revanchists even today. The development of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces and especially the Special Forces is not a secret and is well known to the neighbors. Hopefully, they won't want to experience this power again.