Azerbaijan marks fourth anniversary of Sugovushan's liberation from Armenian occupation

Today, October 3, marks the fourth anniversary of the liberation of the villages of Sugovushan and Talish in Azerbaijan's Aghdara district from Armenian occupation.

As Caliber.Az recalls, on October 3, 2020, the Azerbaijani Army successfully cleared both villages of Armenian occupiers. On that day, the tricoloured State Flag of Azerbaijan was raised in Sugovushan and Talish.

The village, historically known as Sugovushan, was renamed Madagiz during the Soviet era. It was first liberated by the Azerbaijani army from occupation in 1991-1992, but in April 1994, Armenia once again occupied the village.

Following the occupation of Sugovushan, the Armenians established military units in the area. Military Unit No. 49971 was considered one of the best in the Armenian army in Karabakh, and Military Unit No. 33651, designated as the "6th Defensive Region" by the Armenian army, also held positions in Sugovushan.

The Battle for the liberation of Sugovushan is regarded as one of the most significant engagements by the Azerbaijani Army on the northeastern front during the Second Karabakh War. In the battles along the Sugovushan-Aghdara axis, Azerbaijani forces destroyed four tanks of the Armenian armed forces' 77th tank battalion, while three more tanks were captured as trophies. Artillery strikes by Azerbaijani troops on the defensive positions of Armenia's 5th Mountain Rifle Regiment in the Aghdara sector resulted in the destruction of four combat vehicles. The regiment suffered heavy losses in personnel, with several units abandoning their positions and fleeing the battlefield.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a law renaming the village of Madagiz to Sugovushan. On October 3, 2021, President Aliyev raised the Azerbaijani flag in the villages of Sugovushan and Talish.

It is also noteworthy that, by presidential decrees dated December 29, 2020, and June 24, 2021, a group of Azerbaijani servicemen was awarded the "For the Liberation of Sugovushan" medal.

By Khagan Isayev