Baku, December 3, AZERTAC

Azerbaijan`s Ministry of Defense has released information about the servicemen who were killed and wounded in the Patriotic War.

The Ministry said: “In response to the military aggression of Armenia against our country, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief on September 27, 2020, started the Patriotic War in order to liberate our lands from occupation.

The military personnel of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan, fighting heroically and bravely in the Patriotic War, inflicted crushing blows on the armed forces of Armenia, destroyed complex engineering construction and bunkers built by Armenia on our occupied lands for many years, and, breaking through the echeloned and densely mined defensive lines, liberated our lands from occupation.

Despite the fact that the Armenian armed forces possessed the most of the strategic high grounds, advantageous combat positions, our glorious and fearless soldiers and officers fighting under the fire strikes of artillery, numerous multiple launch rocket systems, and mortar pieces, as well as in difficult geographical, relief and climatic conditions, managed to defeat Armenia.

The liberation of the city of Shusha, the crown of Karabakh, is one of the unique military operations in world military history.

Our lands, which we dreamed of for almost 30 years, were liberated from occupation at the cost of the blood and lives of our Shehids (martyrs). Highly professional development of combat operations plans, the use of high technologies, effective interoperability of various types of troops, absolute air superiority, maneuverability, and other tactical and strategic advantages of our army have significantly reduced our losses in military personnel. But there is no war without losses.

During the Patriotic War, 2,783 servicemen of our Armed Forces died in combat. Work is underway to identify 103 servicemen among them using DNA analysis. More than 100 of our servicemen are considered as missing. Necessary activities are being taken to find them and inform their families. Currently, 1,245 servicemen are being treated in medical institutions.

Detailed information on the names of the dead servicemen, their date of birth, military rank, and combat path will be additionally presented to the country's public. The Commission, consisting of employees of the relevant government agencies, is working in this sphere.

May Allah rest the souls of all our Shehids!

We bow our heads in front of our Shehids!”