Azernews.Az

Qabil Ashirov

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The remains of three Azerbaijani servicemen who went missing during the First Karabakh War and were recently identified will be laid to rest on May 15 in the Fuzuli district, AzerNEWS reports.

According to Azerbaijan’s State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons, the identified martyrs are Rafiq Shirvan Jafarov, Aladdin Hazi Haziyev, and Zaur Imamgulu Sadigov.

Rafiq Jafarov will be buried at the cemetery in Abdulrahmanli village, while the other two servicemen will be laid to rest in the cemetery of Ishigli village.

To recall, over 4,000 Azerbaijanis went missing during the First Karabakh War in the early 1990s. Some of them were captured by Armenian forces and, for a time, were able to exchange letters with their families through the International Committee of the Red Cross. Tragically, all contact with these individuals was later severed, and their fate remained unknown for decades.

Despite Azerbaijan’s repeated appeals and official requests, the Armenian side has consistently refused to provide information about the missing persons or cooperate in clarifying their fate. This lack of transparency has prolonged the suffering of thousands of Azerbaijani families still searching for closure.

Following the Second Karabakh War and the liberation of previously occupied territories, several mass graves have been discovered in areas once controlled by Armenian forces. Forensic examinations and DNA analyses have allowed the identification of dozens of missing individuals, whose remains have since been returned to their families for burial.

The identification and reburial of these three individuals mark another solemn yet significant step in Azerbaijan’s ongoing efforts to account for its missing citizens and bring long-awaited peace to their families