Battle of Kalbajar

Battle of Kalbajar
Part of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War
DateMarch 27 – April 3, 1993 (1 week)
Location
Kalbajar District, Azerbaijan
Result Armenian victory
Belligerents
 Armenia
 Nagorno-Karabakh Republic		  Azerbaijan
Commanders and leaders
Armenia Gurgen Dalibaltayan
Republic of Artsakh Samvel Babayan
Republic of Artsakh Monte Melkonian		 Azerbaijan Surat Huseynov
Azerbaijan Shamil Asgarov
Azerbaijan "Khan"
Strength
Several hundred troops, including the crew members of tanks and armored fighting vehicles; 701st brigade (Unknown number of infantry and tanks)
Casualties and losses
Minimal[1] 400 servicemen killed (per Azerbaijan)[2]
150+ servicemen captured[3]
~60,000 Azerbaijanis and Kurds displaced[4]
80 civilians taken hostage[5]
Hundreds of civilians died from frostbite[6]

The Battle of Kalbajar[a] took place in March and April 1993, during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. It resulted in the capture of the Kalbajar District of Azerbaijan by Armenian military forces.

Kalbajar lies outside the contested enclave of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO). The offensive was the first time Armenian forces from Nagorno-Karabakh had advanced beyond the boundaries of the enclave (besides the capture of Lachin in 1992). Kalbajar District, located between Armenia and the western border of the former NKAO, was composed of several dozen villages and its provincial capital, also named Kalbajar. The Armenian side launched an attack from four directions, including Armenia proper. After initial heavy resistance, the Azerbaijani defence quickly collapsed and the provincial capital fell on April 3, 1993. Armenian forces captured an area of more than 1,900 square kilometres, establishing a second overland link between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

As a result of the battle, an estimated 60,000 Kurdish and Azerbaijani civilians were displaced.[4] Civilians fled Kalbajar in April through mountains still covered in snow. Refugees reported that hundreds of people froze to death attempting to flee.[6] Azerbaijan made an unsuccessful attempt to recapture the region in winter 1993–1994.

Kalbajar was under the control of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic until November 25, 2020, when Armenian troops returned the region along with other occupied districts surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control under a ceasefire agreement mediated by Russia, ending the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.[11]

  1. ^ De Waal, Thomas. Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan Through Peace and War, 212.
  2. ^ "Əzizağa Qənizadə: "Onlar Kəlbəcərdədir, meyitləri gətirilməyib, dəfn edilməyib"". Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  3. ^ "ARMENIANS CAPTURE KEY AZERBAIJANI TOWN". washingtonpost.com. Washingtonpost. April 23, 1993. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Azerbaijan: Seven years of conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. New York: Human Rights Watch. 1994. pp. 14. ISBN 1-56432-142-8. An estimated 60,000 individuals — equally divided among Kurds and Azeris — lived in Kelbajar province before the offensive. In the space of a week, 60,000 people were forced to flee their homes. Today all are displaced, and Kelbajar stands empty and looted.
  5. ^ Azerbaijan: Seven years of conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. New York: Human Rights Watch. 1994. p. 24. ISBN 1-56432-142-8. Eighty civilians, however, were taken hostage and sent to Stepanakert to be exchanged for Armenians in Azeri captivity; some 150 soldiers were captured.
  6. ^ a b "Nagorno Karabakh". Human Rights Watch. 1994. Archived from the original on April 22, 2003. Retrieved March 26, 2020. The towns' capture came at staggering human costs, creating 250,000 new Azerbaijani refugees. Civilians fled Kelbajar in April through high mountains still covered with snow. Refugees claimed that hundreds of people froze to death attempting to flee.
  7. ^ "Bu gün Kəlbəcərin işğalı günüdür". TRT Azerbaijan (in Azerbaijani). April 4, 2017. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  8. ^ «Քարվաճառի ազատագրում» հոդված Հայ զինվոր պարբերականում (#17 (882) 4.05.2011 – 11.05.2011), (archived: 21․02․2022թ․)։
  9. ^ «Քարվաճառի և Օմարի ազատագրումը» հոդված Հայ զինվոր պարբերականում (#13 (1235) 4.04.2018 - 10.04.2018), (archived: 21․02․2022թ․)։
  10. ^ «Քարվաճառի ազատագրումը եղավ Արցախյան գոյամարտի բեկումնային հաղթանակներից մեկը» հոդված times.am լրատվական կայքում, (archived: 21․02․2022թ․)։
  11. ^ "Azerbaijani army enters Kalbajar, region returned by Armenia". Al Jazeera. November 25, 2020. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.


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