Operation Horadiz ( az, Horadiz əməliyyatı) was a battle during the

First Nagorno-Karabakh War The First Nagorno-Karabakh War, referred to in Armenia as the Artsakh Liberation War ( hy, Արցախյան ազատամարտ, Artsakhyan azatamart) was an ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in th ...

between 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 ...

and the

Armenian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի զինված ուժեր, Hayastani zinvats uzher), sometimes referred to as the Armenian Army ( hy, Հայկական Բանակ, Haykakan Banak), is the national military of Armenia. It consist ...

Horadiz Horadiz is a city and municipality in the Fuzuli District of Azerbaijan, located on the left bank of the Aras river. As of 2019, it had a population of 7,600 people. History During the Russian Empire, the village of Horadiz was part of the Jebra ...

village of

Fuzuli District Fuzuli District ( az, Füzuli rayonu) is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the south-west of the country and belongs to the Karabakh Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Khojavend, Aghjabadi, Beylagan, J ...

of the

Republic of Azerbaijan A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th ...

, which began in December 1993 and lasted until January 6.

History

Background

The Armenians, who captured Gubadly in late August 1993, declared a

ceasefire A ceasefire (also known as a truce or armistice), also spelled cease fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be between state act ...

because they needed to regroup and had to wait for new weapons and troops to arrive from

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

. In late October, Armenian troops quickly captured Horadiz on the Azerbaijani-Iranian border, cutting off

Zangilan Zangilan (, ; hy, Կովսական, Kovsakan) is a city in Azerbaijan and the administrative centre of the Zangilan District. It is situated along the Voghji (Okhchuchay) river. Etymology According to the Armenian historian Hovhannes Ghar ...

's connection to Azerbaijani territory. Zangilan finally fell in 29 October 1993 into Armenian hands. In December 1993, Armenian armed forces attempted to move east of Fuzuli, but encountered unexpected resistance and were forced to retreat. After that, the Azerbaijani army attacked in three directions. On December 15, Azerbaijani military immediately attacked in five directions —

, Khojavend,

Agdam Aghdam ( az, Ağdam) is a ghost town and the nominal capital of the Aghdam District of Azerbaijan. Founded in the 18th century, it was granted city status in 1828 and grew considerably during the Soviet period. Aghdam lies from Stepanakert at ...

, Mardakert and

Kalbajar Kalbajar ( az, Kəlbəcər , ) is a city and the capital of the Kalbajar District of Azerbaijan. Located on the Tartar river valley, it is away from the capital Baku. The city had a population of 7,246 before its capture by Armenian forces on ...

. The attack on north-east of

Nagorno-Karabakh Nagorno-Karabakh ( ) is a landlocked country, landlocked region in the Transcaucasia, South Caucasus, within the mountainous range of Karabakh, lying between Lower Karabakh and Syunik Province, Syunik, and covering the southeastern range o ...

forced the Armenians to leave a number of settlements in Mardakert district. The main blows of Azerbaijani troops to Horadiz came from

Beylagan District Beylagan District ( az, Beyləqan 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 Fuzuli, Aghjabadi, Zardab, Im ...

. The battle had spread to the steppe. Under these conditions, Azerbaijani units destroyed the Armenian defenses and began to advance inside the Fuzuli under cannon fire and missile artillery. In early January 1994, Azerbaijanis seized 11 villages and 40 kilometers of Azerbaijani-Iranian border.

Battle

According to the Azerbaijani side, on January 5, the 702nd Brigade, which took part in the Horadiz operation, captured 3 tanks, 1 Shturm-S, 6 artillery pieces, 6 artillery trailers, about 10 vehicles, a large number of weapons and ammunition. The enemy retreated, suffering heavy casualties and leaving their dead on the battlefield. Captain Elkhan Zulfugarov of the 702nd Regiment, who died in combat at Shukyurbeyli near Horadiz, was posthumously awarded the title of

National Hero of Azerbaijan The National Hero of Azerbaijan ( az, Azərbaycan milli qəhrəmanı) is the highest Hero (title), national title in the Republic of Azerbaijan. The title was named on 25 March 1992, and the "Qizil Ulduz" Medal awarded as a sign of receiving this t ...

. On January 6 or January 8 the 702nd Regiment broke through Armenian resistance, fought and entered Horadiz, captured the settlement, Horadiz Railway Station and

Khodaafarin Bridges , fa, پل خداآفرین, also_known_as= , carries= , crosses= Aras River , coordinates= , extra= , location=Jabrayil District, Azerbaijan / East Azerbaijan Province, Iran , label = , label_size = , alt = , background = , mark ...

, an important strategic target on the Aras. The operation was led by Shair Ramaldanov. Horadiz was an important crossroads of Jabrayil, Gubadly, Zangilan districts in the west and Fuzuli in the north. Afghan Mujahideen, who arrived in the fall of 1993, also took part in the Azerbaijani attack. According to some reports, the training of the Mujahideen was higher than that of regular Azerbaijani army, and they played a key role in the capture of Horadiz by Azerbaijani army.

Aftermath

As a result of the operation, Horadiz village, 20 villages of Fuzuli district and Jojug Marjanli village of

Jabrayil District Jabrayil District ( az, Cəbrayıl rayonu) is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the south-west of the country and belongs to the East Zangezur Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Khojavend, Fuzuli, Quba ...

came under the control of Azerbaijan. Operation Horadiz was the most successful operation conducted by the Azerbaijani Army during the 1994 winter campaign. Eight participants were awarded the title of

for their heroism in the operation. According to Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani forces took control of 21,000 hectares. On January 5, 1994, Azerbaijani Army soldiers entered Horadiz and planted the

Azerbaijani flag The national flag of Azerbaijan ( az, Azərbaycan bayrağı), often referred to in Azerbaijani as ( en, Tricolour flag), is a horizontal tricolour that features three equally sized bars of bright blue, red, and green; a white crescent; and ...

in Horadiz.

References

{{Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict First Nagorno-Karabakh War 1993 in Azerbaijan