Azerbaijan marks 33rd anniversary of Dashalti operation

Azerbaijan marks the 33rd anniversary of its army's Dashalti operation on January 26.

The operation, aimed at liberating Dashalti village, began on January 25, 1992, and ended in failure on the evening of January 26, Caliber.Az reports.

The operation involved 200 soldiers from the Shikhov Battalion, and was led by former Defence Minister Tajaddin Mehdiyev. 

According to the initial plan, the platoon was to pass through Nabilar village, ascend the Qizilgaya height, and from there block the road leading from Dashalti to Sighnag village. The secondary plan focused on cutting off the road from Dashalti to Shushakend.

Adverse weather conditions, poor communication among units, leaks of classified information about the operation, and the betrayal of the guides led to the failure of the mission. The platoon that entered Dashalti fell into an ambush. The remaining platoons also suffered casualties and were forced to retreat.   During the failed operation, the Azerbaijani army lost over 90 soldiers.

The Armenian forces also suffered casualties, with 80 Armenian soldiers killed in the fighting. As a result of successful counteroffensive operations carried out by the Azerbaijani army starting on September 27, 2020, territories that had been under Armenian occupation for many years were liberated, including Dashalti village. 

On November 9, 2020, the Azerbaijani army liberated Dashalti village, which had been under the control of Armenian armed forces since 1991. Thus, 28 years later, retribution for the Dashalti operation was finally achieved. 

After the liberation, mass graves were discovered on the previously occupied Azerbaijani lands. One such grave was found in the territory of Dashalti village, where the remains of seven people were exhumed, on February 17, 2021.

By Naila Huseynova