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KHOJALY – THE TRAGEDY OF THE 20^th CENTURY

On 25-26 of February 1992 Armenian Army captured Azeri town of Khojalyin northern Karabagh. Over 800 civilians were butchered in cold blood. Khojaly is a settlement of Azerbaijan situated in the strategic point on the road Agdam-Shusha, Khankendi (Stepanakert) - Askeran near the only airport in Karabakh. Its population is more then 7 thousand people.

Late on February 25 the city was under the intensive fire from the town Khankendi and Askeran. The airport and neighboring houses was destroyed. More then 150 people defending the airport were killed by sporadic artiller shelling of regiment No 366. The next day, on February 26 the fire shooting grew heavier and more fierce. After powerful artillery shelling Armenian bandits launched a massive attack. Armoured vehicles of Soviet Army regiment No 366 were in the first row of the attackers. They were followed by Armenian armed bandit units. The Armenian armed men backed by armoured vehicles killed the defenders of the districts and houses. The most valuable property and personal possessions were loaded onto the trucks and taken away towards the town of Khankendi.

Occupation of Khojaly was followed with unprecedented brutalities against the civilian population. In a few hours the aggressors killed 613 innocent and unarmed people. Among them were 106 women, 83 children. 56 people were killed with special brutality. 8 families were totally exterminated. 25 children were totally, and 130 children were partly orphaned. 476 people became disabled persons (of them 76 were minors). 1275 people were taken into hostage and even though afterwards most of the hostages were released from captivity, the fates of 150 of them are still unknown. The event had sparked the exodus of Azerbaijanis from their historic lands. Ten years on and the world is still oblivious to the suffering caused by the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan Republic. As the result of ethnic cleansing in Karabagh, and other territories occupied by Armenians, some 1,000,000 people have been expelled from their homes and forced to live in tent-camps and railway carriages…

One of first persons who shed a light on Khojaly tragedy in all over the worlds was Mr. T.Goltz, American independent journalist. We invite you to read on Khojaly tragedy from his book. Do not read that awful story from a part of Azerbaijani or Armenian. Let’s have an impartial American journalist as judge between us.

Swedish-Azerbaijanian Culture Association ODLAR YURDU

No one and nothing will be forgotten...