Azernews.Az

The Korea Times newspaper has published an article entitled "Khojaly genocide: the most horrible genocide of the 21st century", AzerTac state news agency reported.

The article informs readers on the attack of the Armenian armed forces and 366 motor-infantry regiment of former USSR to Khojaly on February 26, 1992 and the occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories. It says in the wake of the massacre committed in Khojaly 613 innocent civilians were brutally killed, while 1275 were taken hostage. "The Human Rights Watch described the Khojaly tragedy as the largest massacre to date in the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh."

The author underlines though the UN Security Council adopted four resolutions on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Armenian armed forces do not pull out of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

The article also briefs readers on the "Justice for Khojaly" campaign initiated by vice-president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva.

The Khojaly massacre is one of the most heinous and bloodiest events of the 20th century. Late into the night of February 25, 1992, the town of Khojaly came under intensive fire from the town of Khankendi and Askeran already occupied by Armenian armed forces. At night the Armenian 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.

Thousands of fleeing civilians were ambushed by Armenian forces. Punitive teams of the so-called Nagorno Karabakh defense army reached the unprotected civilians to slaughter them, mutilating and scalping some bodies. In just a few hours, 613 civilians were killed, including 106 women, 70 elderly and 83 children. A total of 1,000 civilians were disabled. 56 people were killed with outrageous brutality, eight families were totally exterminated, and 25 children lost both parents, while 130 children lost at least one parent, in what became the most brutal punishment of civilians during the three years of the conflict's military phase. Moreover, 1,275 innocent people were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 remains unknown.