The first families of Khojaly residents will return to their native places
It is planned to return the first 50 families to Khojaly by mid-March, news agency learned from informed sources. Currently, large-scale restoration works are continuing in this city: housing and infrastructure are being built. Khojaly was the second largest Azerbaijani settlement in Karabakh after the city of Shusha.
On the fateful night of February 25-26, 1992, a harrowing tragedy unfolded in the ancient city of Khojaly, Azerbaijan. Armenian armed detachments, backed by the 366th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the former USSR stationed in Khankendi, orchestrated a brutal assault on the unarmed and defenseless city.
The siege began with Armenian troops encircling Khojaly from all directions, unleashing a relentless barrage of artillery fire and heavy military weaponry upon its streets. Within moments, the city became engulfed in flames, its buildings reduced to ashes as chaos and terror gripped the population.
As the defenders of Khojaly and its civilians sought refuge, many were ruthlessly pursued and gunned down by armed assailants. Amidst the frigid cold of the February night, countless innocent lives, including women and children, were lost as they fled into the unforgiving wilderness, succumbing to the elements.
The scale of the atrocities inflicted by the Armenian forces was staggering. 613 individuals from the population of Khojaly perished in the onslaught, with hundreds more left maimed or captured. Among the victims were 106 women, 63 children, and 70 elderly, their lives cut short in a senseless act of violence.
The survivors endured unspeakable horrors, subjected to torment, indignity, and humiliation at the hands of their captors. To this day, the fate of 150 individuals remains shrouded in uncertainty, a painful reminder of the ongoing trauma inflicted upon the people of Khojaly.
The events that transpired in Khojaly constitute nothing short of genocide, a stark testament to the brutality and inhumanity unleashed upon innocent civilians. As the world remembers the victims of this tragedy, their voices echo through history, demanding justice and remembrance for those who perished in the darkness of that fateful night.