Senior official: Scale of destruction in deoccupied lands unimaginable
By Aisha Jabbarova
Head of Presidential Aide Hikmat Hajiyev has pointed out the complete destruction of Azerbaijan's liberated lands that had been under Armenian occupation in the past three decades.
“Even unimaginable to see the magnitude and scale of destruction in deoccupied lands of Azerbaijan by Armenia for 30 years. Even very single brick and stone was looted. Soon such destruction of Armenia will be changed for construction and building better future for returned IDPs,” Hajiyev wrote in his Twitter account on November 9.
Armenian armed forces launched a large-scale military attack on positions of the Azerbaijani army on the front line, using large-caliber weapons, mortars, and artillery on September 27.
Azerbaijan responded with a counter-offensive along the entire front. As a result of retaliation, Azerbaijani troops liberated a number of territories previously occupied by Armenia, as well as take important, strategic heights under control.
President Aliyev said on November 8 that the Azerbaijani Army has liberated over 200 villages, settlements and cities since September 27. Azerbaijan has also liberated strategic Shusha town in Nagorno-Karabakh after 28 years of Armenian occupation.
Shusha, which was occupied by Armenian forces on May 8, 1992, has critical importance in liberating Nagorno-Karabakh, which is an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan. It is located on the road to Khankendi, the region's largest city.