...::: Khojaly.org.az :::...

Mushfig ALIMAMEDOV, the resident of Khodjaly.

Escaping from the town he was injured and had been left to lie on the snow for 2 days: ...We had guns: machine-guns, rifles, shotguns. We didn't have any ammunition or food. We were exhausted by a long-term blockade. On February 25 Armenians started shooting at midnight, armed forces arid vehicles launched the attack. First they captured the airport and burnt it down. They didn't spare anyone, either old-age people and women or children. Many people were burned alive in their homes, especially near the airport. An awful smell of burned meet haunts me even now... Most of town-defenders were killed in action. The survivors were trying to escape in the woods on the way to the village of Shelli to break through to Agdam. They were ambushed near the Armenian village of Nakhichevanik on the way to Agdam. Many people were killed in the ambush near the village. The director of the airport Alif Hadjiyev was killed here. He was there to rescue women. He was the one to have organized the efficient work of the airport. Armenians had already promised the award for his life before.

MINESH ALIYEVA, 50, the resident of Khodjaly, with a bullet wound in the arm.

...We wandered along the woods falling through the deep snow. When we were crossing the road a bullet lodged in my arm. I fell down and couldn't get up. A very intensive shooting started from the wood and shelters. Alif grabbed me and started pulling to the rear of the road. Then he rushed towards the bushes to hide and .started retaliating shooting at Armenian armed men. Shooting from the woods ceased for some time. Alif started shouting at the women lying on the other side of the road and ordered them to cross the road as soon as possible. He used to shoot sporadically and every time he did the Armenians stopped shooting. About 20 women managed to run across the road. When Alif started to change the cartridge - drum Armenians shot in retaliation. At this moment he was shot through the forehead. It was an awful sight...

ELMAN MAMEDOV, head of the executive power:

...The storming of the town started with artillery shelling that had been going on for 2 hours. Armenian armed men fired from tanks, armed personnel carriers, using shells of 'Alazan' type. We were blocked from three sides. The only break out line was Askeran gap. When Armenian infantry soldiers launched the attack everything in Khodjaly had been destroyed. Most of its residents had been shot dead. We defended the town down in trenches till 2 a.m. We failed to resist any more, the defenders and civilians started retreating. Having crossed the ice-cold river we were moving towards Keteen mountain. A lot of people died on the way in the woods where they were frozen to death. We were walking until 7 a.m. when we came out of the woods near Armenian village of Nakhiche-vanik. We were trapped in a gorge, where Armenians armed with machine-guns and submachine guns were waiting for us in armed personnel carriers. That's when the real slaughter began. Armenians just shot d,nd shot innocent defenceless people. Many children and women were shot dead here. Some people were fleeing towards the village of Gulably where about 200 people were taken hostage. We helped the survivors and some of the residents of the town managed to get to Agdam. Seven of my friends with me failed to get out of the ambush, it was too late, but we got lucky; we found the cover from fire. We were hiding there from 9 a.m. till 8 p.m. And only in the evening when it started snowing we managed to get out of it and reach Agdam early in the morning of February 27.

SANUBAR ALEKPEROVA, the resident of Khodjaly

... Hasanabad, Mehdikend, Boz-dagy - these are the places they were shooting from. The land shuddered at the sound of armoured infantry vehicles smashing into Khodjaly. At first women and children were told to hide in the basements. Then Elman Mamedov, head of the executive power came and said that we had to escape, otherwise we would be exterminated. Alif Hadjiyev, director of the airport organized a breakthrough through Armenian lines to lead the civilians to Agdam. We were trapped in an ambush near the village of Nakhichevanik. I will never forget what I saw here: there were -mountainsides filled with corpses. My mother was shot dead. My daughters Hidjran and Sevindj were injured. At the same moment the bullet lodged on me. Young women and children perished from the wounds on the snow.
We had radio station with us. We cried, we tried to report what was happening , we begged for help, but nobody helped us.

JAMIL MAMEDOV, the resident of Khodjaly.

Tanks and armed personnel, carriers destroyed the houses, smashed down the people. Russian soldiers were followed by Armenian bandits. I took my 5-year-a!d grandson and 14.000 roubles and ran towards the woods. I took off my clothes and wrapped the child up in them so that he wouldn't die of cold. But it wouldn't help. We had to hide inside the snow with the child.
In the morning I realized that the child wouldn't stand the cold any more and I started walking towards the nearest armenian village of Nakhichevanik where we were trapped by Armenian armed men. I begged them to take my money for the sake of the child and let us pass to Agdam. They cursed and beat me in response and brought me to their commander. He ordered to keep us locked up in the cattle-shed. There had already been Azerbaijani women and children. They kept us in the cattle-shed for 4 days without any food or water. But for one kind family that used to stealthily bring us some bread and water at night we could have died, we wouldn't have been able to stand allV these tortures. But there is no limit to anger. When four days later I was brought to Askeran with my grandson the events I saw h^re were so awful that cattle-shed in Nakhichevanik seemed paradise to me. Foreign mercenaries (I know Armenian and I can tell local Armenian people from foreign ones) pulled out my toe-nails. Negroes who were among Armenians were jumping high kicking me into the face. After these tortures I was exchanged for some Armenian. However they took away my grandson. I know nothing about the fate of my wife and my daughter.

TALYBOVA, the resident of Khodjaly.

...They brought us to the Armenian cemetery. It is hard for me to describe what happened here. Four young Turks-meskhets (they fled from Uzbekistan and took shelter in Azerbaijan - Editor's Commentary) were shot dead on the grave of an Armenian armed man to sacrifice for him. Then they cut off the dead men's heads. Later the soldiers and Armenian bandits started killing and torturing the children in front of their parents. Then the truck arrived and it threw the corpses into the ravine. But they didn't satisfy their appetites yet, these predators with human appearance brought two Azerbaijanis wearing national army uniform and pierced their eyes with screwdrivers...

DJANAN ORUDJEV, the resident of Khodjaly.

...We tried to break through the woods to Agdam, but we were fired by sporadic shooting by armed soldiers near the village of Nakhiche-vanik.A lot of women and children were shot dead. My son was killed. He was 16 years old. They took away my daughter, 23, with her twin-babies and my second 18-year-old daughter who was pregnant. I beg you to rescue them,..

KHANLAR HADJIYEV, the head of medical service of Azerbaijan Defence ministry.

It was here that one could see the real side of this cruel and meaningless war. The soldier with his intestines out by fragments of the grenade, frozen to death fleeing women, a three-year old child with his bandaged stump of amputated leg. He had been shot by the heavy machine gun. The girl with her face carved by knife... ...Even our people in Baku couldn't suspect what was going on here. Our medical train was sent to the scene because local doctors were unable to treat so many injured people. All the doctors were volunteers. They were prepared for everything, but what they saw shocked them.
...There are a lot of people frozen to death. They are, as a rule, the fleeing Khodjaly residents escap- ing to the woods and hostages who returned from captivity. I saw the way some people were returning from captivity, bare-footed with frozen feet that lost their sensitivity. Many people after being released had to be operated and their feet had to be amputated.