September 27-October 3: Look back to first week of second Karabakh war

By Azernews

By Sabina Mammadli

• The first week of the 44-day second Karabakh war proved crucial in the course of the military operations
• Liberation of several villages & destruction of dozens of military hardware demoralized the occupying army
• Azerbaijan stepped up propaganda to render neutral Armenia along with its deepening military crush
• The course of the seven-day heavy battles across the entire perimeter of the front heartened both the army & nation about the desired outcome of the war

September 27 marks the second anniversary of the start of the 44-day second Karabakh war.

In response to the frequent Armenian provocations and to terminate the nearly 30-year-long occupation of Karabakh and surrounding territories, the Azerbaijani armed forces started wide-ranging military attacks to regain the lands, which resulted in the decisive and glorious victory over the Armenian army within 44 days.

Throughout the six-week-long blitzkrieg, the Azerbaijani army regained a significant part of the occupied territories, that is over 300 towns and villages from Armenia's 30-year-long disastrous occupation, compelling the enemy to sign an act of capitulation, and return back several districts in line with Russia-brokered peace deal.

By virtue of ongoing provocations along the contact line, unsuccessful mediation efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group, and Armenia's refusal to comply with international laws, just to name a few, to put an end to the occupation, a decisive war was not long in coming.

Here’s how the first week of the war played out:

Chronicle of 44-day Second Karabakh War: September 27

On September 27, at about 0600 hours, the Armenian armed forces committed large-scale provocations by subjecting to intensive shelling from large-caliber weapons, mortars, and artillery mounts of various calibers positions of the Azerbaijan army along the entire perimeter of the front and settlements close to the frontline.

There were killed and wounded among the civilians as a result of the intensive shelling by the enemy of Tartar District’s Qapanli village, Agdam District’s Chiragli and Orta Qarvand villages, Alxanli and Shukurbayli villages of Fuzuli District, and Jojug Marjanli village of Jabrayil District. Serious damages were caused to civilian infrastructure.

Qaraxanbayli, Qarvand, Kand Horadiz, Yuxari Abdulrahmanli villages of Fuzuli District, Boyuk Marjanli, and Nuzgar villages of Jabrayil District were liberated soon after the Azerbaijani army started the liberation of the occupied lands.

Five members of a family in the Azerbaijani village of Qashalti, Naftalan District, i.e. the head of the Gurbanov family, Elbrus, and four members of his family, were killed as a result of Armenian shelling.

President Ilham Aliyev and French leader Emmanuel Macron had a phone conversation to discuss the escalation of tension on the line of contact between the Azerbaijani and Armenian troops.

Azerbaijan declared martial law that included imposing a curfew in several cities between 0900 pm and 0600 am.

Chronicle of 44-day Second Karabakh War: September 28

Several advantageous heights around the village of Talysh were cleared of the occupying forces, and the Armenian armed forces suffered heavy losses.

President Ilham Aliyev signed an order to introduce partial mobilization across Azerbaijan.

Presidential aide Hikmat Hajiyev gave an interview to Al Jazeera Media Network.

The Azerbaijani Army destroyed several more Armenian armed forces combat vehicles on that day.

Chronicle of 44-day Second Karabakh War: September 29

First Vice-President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva remarked on the second Karabakh war on her Instagram page, "May the Almighty God bless every Azerbaijani to kiss the holy land of Karabakh."

President Ilham Aliyev answered questions by correspondents of '60 Minutes' program on Russia TV.

Ilham Aliyev held a videoconference with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. President provided information about the military provocation committed by Armenia against Azerbaijan.

Parliament Speaker Sahiba Qafarova and President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Georgi Tsereteli discussed the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and Armenia's aggression against Azerbaijan.

A large number of manpower and equipment of the Armenian armed forces were destroyed.

Armenia fired at a car belonging to the Azerbaijani ITV channel in Qapanli village of Azerbaijan’s Tartar District.

At the same time, heavy fighting continued during the night: one enemy tank and up to ten soldiers were neutralized. Meanwhile, the offensive of the Azerbaijani Army for the liberation of Fuzuli city continued.

Furthermore, the enemy's tank was destroyed in the direction of Agdara, and Azerbaijani artillery units delivered crushing blows to the enemy.

Chronicle of 44-day Second Karabakh War: September 30

President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva met with wounded soldiers.

President of the European Council Charles Michel made a phone call to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

The Armenian armed forces used Tochka-U high-precision tactical ballistic missile system. However, due to the unsuitability and poor quality of the Armenian troops' military equipment, three of the fired missiles didn't explode.

The Azerbaijani Army disabled one S-300 anti-aircraft missile system of the Armenian armed forces during the fighting in Shushakand village of Khojaly District.

The Azerbaijani Army conducted operations to destroy Armenian manpower and military equipment, surrounded in the Agdare and Tartar directions, as well as continued cleansing of the territory.

Some 46 civilians were injured, and 14 were killed in heavy artillery shellings of Azerbaijani densely populated areas.

Chronicle of 44-day Second Karabakh War: October 1

Some 97 houses and objects in Azerbaijan’s Agdam District were destroyed by artillery shelling of the Armenian armed forces.

Starting the morning of October 1, 2020, units of the Armenian armed forces once again subjected the Azerbaijani city of Tartar to artillery fire.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov had a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, during which he said that Armenia is purposefully targeting civilians in the clashes.

At that point, sixteen civilians were killed and 58 others were injured with three kids among them.

In a phone conversation with Belarus President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, President Ilham Aliyev blamed Armenia for deliberately violating the negotiation process and targeting civilian targets.

As a result of the intensive shelling of residential buildings in Jojug Marjanli village by the Armenian armed forces, many houses were extensively damaged.

Chronicle of 44-day Second Karabakh War: October 2

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was interviewed by the Al-Jazeera TV channel. In the interview, the head of state once again defended the rightful position of Azerbaijan in the international media and spoke about the large-scale provocations of the Armenian armed forces and the counter-offensive operation of the Azerbaijani army. He also answered questions about the history of the conflict.

Combat operations continued in different directions of the front. In the direction of Agdara, the Azerbaijani troops liberated the important heights around Madagiz settlement (later renamed Sugovushan) and took control of it.

In the Jabrayil-Fuzuli direction, the Azerbaijani army managed to move forward and broke the resistance of the Armenian troops, forcing them to retreat.

Five Armenian armored vehicles, three military infrastructure facilities, and a large number of personnel were destroyed. Armenian volunteers from Armenia to Azerbaijan's then-occupied territories refused to fight under various pretexts, fearing the intensity of the fighting and the heavy losses.

The Armenian armed forces subjected the villages of Xindiristan, Alibayli, Ahmadaghali, and Safarli of Agdam District to a massive artillery bombardment. As a result of the aggression, there were wounded and killed civilians.

The Armenian armed forces shelled the building of a kindergarten in the Shixarx settlement in the city of Tartar.

Armenian armed forces fired on journalists who were reporting from the frontline. The journalists operating in the residential areas fired by Armenian forces came under sudden fire.

Armenia launched nearly 10 Tochka-U tactical missiles to Sabirkand village of Shamkir District.

On that day, the Armenian military supplies and combat positions were destroyed.

The Azerbaijani army seized the battle flag of the air discount command unit of the Armenian armed forces’ 193rd airborne assault battalion, as well as a large number of weapons and ammunition from the Armenian forces who fled the battlefield, helpless in the face of the power of the Azerbaijani army. The Armenian field control point, as well as several other Armenian manpower and equipment, were destroyed.

Chronicle of 44-day Second Karabakh War: October 3

President Ilham Aliyev announced that the Azerbaijani army raised the national flag in Madagiz, renaming it Sugovushan, and liberated Talish village in Tartar, Mehdili, Chaxirli, Ashagi Maralyan, Shaybay, Guyjag, and Ashagi Abdurrahmanli villages in Jabrayil and Fuzuli Districts.

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry presented a list of the destroyed military equipment of the Armenian armed forces. Its total losses amounted to 230 tanks and other armored vehicles, 250 artillery installations, multiple launch rocket systems, and mortars, 38 air defense systems, 10 command and observation posts, seven ammunition depots, more than 130 vehicles, and one anti-aircraft missile complex S-300.

On the night of October 3, the combat activity of the Armenian armed forces in various directions of the front was suppressed, and crushing blows were inflicted on them.

The Armenian armed forces shelled Tartar city, the region's Sahlabad, Qazyan, Qapanli, Qaynag, Askipara, Qusanli villages, Agdam District's Ayag Qarvand, Imamqulubayli, Qaradaghli, Tazakand villages.

Prosecutor-General Kamran Aliyev said at a briefing that since September 27, 19 civilians had been killed as a result of Armenian shellings. Among those killed were three women and two children;63 civilians received various degrees of injuries. The Prosecutor General's Office launched 12 criminal cases into crimes committed by the Armenian armed forces against civilians.

The Defense Ministry distributed footage of the destruction of the Armenian army's military equipment and of liberated territories.

Residents of Baku, on the balconies of their houses, celebrated the liberation of the village of Sugovushan.