Azernews.Az

By Sabina Mammadli

Azerbaijan marked the 30th anniversary of the national army's Dashalti operation during the first Karabakh war in the early 1990s in a victorious mood, honoring the memory of martyrs killed during the operation.

The Dashalti operation, one of the most important military operations of the first Karabakh war, began on January 25, 1992, and ended on January 26, 1992, with the failure of the Azerbaijani army. The Azerbaijani army ended the long-running occupation of its lands and liberated its territories, including Shusha and Dashalti village, in 2020.

In commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the failed Dashalti operation, the Defence Ministry organized a media tour of the village.

Representatives from the ministry, military personnel involved in the Dashalti operation, and media representatives first honored the memory of the sons of the Motherland who sacrificed their lives for Azerbaijan's independence and territorial integrity.

During the event, servicemen shared their memories of the Dashalti operation.

The military band played patriotic music at the ceremony, praising the valiant Azerbaijani army led by President Ilham Aliyev for liberating the Dashalti village after 28 years of occupation.

Former Defence Minister Maj-Gen Tajaddin Mehdiyev led the operation, which began on January 25, 1992, at 2000. It was carried out in order to liberate Dashalti village in the Askeran region near Shusha city. The operation was carried out by three groups of Azerbaijani troops volunteers and soldiers from the Shusha defence battalion.

The operation in Dashalti in 1992 went down in history as the most disastrous due to tactical errors, a lack of communication between units, and the betrayal of the group guides.

The Azerbaijani army lost more than 90 soldiers, with the majority still missing. Approximately 80 Armenian servicemen were killed during the operation.

A Moscow-brokered ceasefire deal that Baku and Yerevan signed on November 10, 2020, brought an end to six weeks of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani army declared a victory against the Armenian troops. The signed agreement obliged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it has occupied since the early 1990s.

The peace agreement stipulated the return of Azerbaijan's Armenian-occupied Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin regions. Before the signing of the deal, the Azerbaijani army had liberated around 300 villages, settlements, city centers, and historic Shusha city.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz