Ten years have passed since the April battles, one of the bright victories in the history of the Azerbaijani Army.
According to APA, on April 2, 2016, in response to provocations by the Armenian armed forces, the Azerbaijani Army launched a rapid counteroffensive operation, inflicting a heavy defeat on the enemy and liberating more than 2,000 hectares of occupied territories in the Fuzuli, Jabrayil, and Aghdara districts.
In addition, thousands of hectares of land came under the full control of the Azerbaijani Army. Through the four-day April battles, the Azerbaijani Army brought a sense of victory to the nation for the first time in 23 years.
The purpose of the counteroffensive carried out by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces was to eliminate the threat posed by the Armenian armed forces to settlements along the line of contact. Since March 2016, Armenian military units had intensified shelling of residential areas along the front line. In an effort to escalate the situation, Armenian forces used artillery to target both combat positions and settlements near the line of contact. On the night of April 2, the enemy shelled all positions as well as civilians. Azerbaijan immediately decided to take appropriate measures and delivered decisive retaliatory strikes. Coordinates located both on the front line and in depth were identified, and Armenian military personnel and equipment were destroyed.
The most intense directions of the fighting during the April battles were the Aghdara–Tartar–Aghdam and Fuzuli axes. In a short period at the beginning of April, units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces identified enemy forces concentrated both on the front line and in depth and neutralized them with decisive strikes. As a result of successful operations, heights in the direction of the Talish village, which posed a threat to the city of Naftalan, were cleared of occupying forces. In addition, the strategically important Lalatapa height in the Fuzuli direction, which allows control over a wide area and ensures the protection of the city of Horadiz, was liberated.
As a result of the Azerbaijani Army’s decisive strikes, up to 30 enemy tanks, more than 25 artillery systems, and other armored vehicles were destroyed, 320 servicemen were killed, and more than 500 were wounded. Control over roads in the Aghdara–Sugovushan direction was ensured.
During the April battles, the long-standing myth of the “invincible Armenian army” was shattered, and Armenian society realized the failure of its occupation policy. The April victory became a symbol of the fighting spirit of Azerbaijani soldiers and the unity between the army and the people.
Following the successful April operation, Armenia’s occupation policy was once again confirmed by undeniable facts. The majority of those killed in the battles were Armenian servicemen, who were later awarded by the Armenian government; many of the wounded received treatment in Armenian medical institutions; and attempts were made to send volunteers under the guise of “separatists” back to Karabakh to fill positions abandoned by the Armenian army.
During the provocations carried out by the Armenian army along the line of contact, there were also casualties and injuries among civilians, and significant damage was inflicted on residential areas.
For their heroism and bravery in defending the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan, preventing armed provocations along the line of contact between April 2–5, 2016, and repelling attacks against civilians, a group of Azerbaijani servicemen were awarded high honors, orders, and medals by presidential decrees on April 19, 2016.
Among those awarded were recipients of the honorary title “National Hero of Azerbaijan,” as well as the “Azerbaijan Flag” and “For Service to the Fatherland” orders, and the medals “For the Motherland,” “For Bravery,” and “For Military Merit.”
As a continuation of the successful April battles, the Azerbaijani Army liberated its territories from occupation during the 44-day war starting on September 27, 2020, forcing Armenia to sign an act of capitulation.
