U.S. envoy says Khojaly tragedy created great pain for all Azerbaijanis
By Sara Rajabova
U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Morningstar has said his country recognizes that the tragedy in Khojaly has created great pain for all Azerbaijanis.
Richard Morningstar issued statement posted on the embassy's Facebook page on February 26 regarding the Khojaly Memorial Day.
"Any loss of life is tragic and the loss of life on both sides in the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia reminds us that there cannot be a military solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Only a lasting and peaceful settlement can bring stability, prosperity, and reconciliation to the region. As a co-chair of the Minsk Group, the United States remains firmly committed to working with the sides to achieve peace," the statement said.
Late into the night from February 25 to 26, 1992, the town of Khojaly, situated within the administrative borders of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, came under intensive fire from the towns of Khankendi and Askeran, already occupied by Armenian armed forces.
There were 3,000 people in the town when the Armenian military forces attacked, as the most part of the population had to leave town during 4-month blockade. The Armenian armed forces, supported by the ex-Soviet 366th regiment, completed the surrounding of the town already isolated due to ethnic cleansing of the Azerbaijani population of the neighboring regions. The joint forces occupied the town, which was ruined by heavy artillery shelling.
As many as 613 civilians mostly women and children were killed in the massacre, and a total of 1,000 people were disabled. Eight families were exterminated, 25 children lost both parents, and 130 children lost one parent.
Moreover, 1,275 innocent people were taken hostage, and the fate of 150 of them remains unknown. Civilians were shot at close range, scalped, and burned alive. Some had their eyes gouged out and others were beheaded.
Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that had caused a lengthy war in the early 1990s.
The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenia's withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to this day.