Babak Matlab oglu Samidli (; 1974-2020) was an Azerbaijani military officer, and a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

serving in the

Azerbaijani Armed Forces The Azerbaijani Armed Forces ( az, Azərbaycan Silahlı Qüvvələri) were re-established according to the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the Armed Forces from 9 October 1991. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) had originally formed ...

. He was deputy commander of the 1st Army Corps.

Life and service

Samidli was born in the

Goychay District Goychay District ( az, Göyçay rayonu) is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the centre of the country and belongs to the Central Aran Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Agdash, Qabala, Ismayilli, Kurdam ...

. In June 2018 he was promoted to rank of Lieutenant Colonel. During the

2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict in 2020 that took place in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding territories. It was a major escalation of an unresolved conflict over the region, involving Azerbai ...

, Samidli commanded Azerbaijani forces in the Madagiz offensive. On 27 October, he gave an interview to Euronews announcing the capture of the Madagiz dam. Samidli died post-armistice on 23 November 2020, near

Madagiz Madagiz ( hy, Մատաղիս, Mataghis) or Sugovushan (, ), is a village in the Tartar District of Azerbaijan, in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The village had an ethnic Armenian-majority population prior to the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

(renamed to Sugovushan) from an exploded land-mine. Samidli was part of a group that consisted of Armenian officials, Red Cross officials, and Russian peacekeepers collecting dead bodies and identifying missing soldiers. Four Armenian officials and one Russian peacekeeper were slightly wounded in the blast. On 9 December, the

President of Azerbaijan The president of the Republic of Azerbaijan is the head of state of Azerbaijan. The Constitution states that the president is the embodiment of executive power, commander-in-chief, "representative of Azerbaijan in home and foreign policies", ...

, Ilham Aliyev signed a decree to posthumously award Samidli the

Zafar Order The Zafar Order, or the Victory Order ( az, «Zəfər» ordeni), is an order of Azerbaijan. The order was created on the occasion of Azerbaijan being the victor in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. History On 11 November 2020, the President of ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samidli, Babak 1974 births People from Goychay District 2020 deaths Azerbaijani colonels Azerbaijani military personnel killed in action Azerbaijani Land Forces personnel of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war Recipients of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic 100th anniversary medal Landmine victims