25 years have passed since the terrorist attack committed by the Armenian Armed Forces against the civilians in Nagorno Karabakh.

On January 28, 1992, MI-8 civilian helicopter, flying from Aghdam to Shusha was shot down by Armenians with mortars from the direction of Khankendi.

Totally 44 people including 41 passengers with women and children and 3 crew members were killed.

5 of them were from Jamilli village of Khojali region. All of them were young patriots. They rose to defend their homeland and became martyrs on the way.

Upon the occupation of Karkijahan on January, 1992, Armenians began to fire rockets continuously at Shusha. Karki village of Shusha region was occupied by Armenia on that day.

Following this terrorist attack, being one of the biggest accidents in aviation history, Khojali Genocide committed. Undoubtedly, these provocative actions were weakening the defense of Shusha creating the condition for the occupation of the region.



Sabira Mahmudova, a witness of those days shed light on the facts in regard with the terror attack in her statement to Femida.az.

` On January 28, 1992, MI-8 civilian helicopter, flying from Aghdam to Shusha was shot down by Armenians with mortars from the direction of Khankendi as if the helicopter did not get off the ground on time. In fact, helicopter carrying weapons from Baku to Shusha landed in Aghdam for fuel and the passenger-carrying helicopter got off the ground. As a result, Armenians shot down the passenger-carrying helicopter instead of helicopter carrying weapons. Armenian women who hid their identities leaked information to Armenia when they worked at Zabrat aerodrome.

`Crew members and 44 civilians were killed. Four soldiers serving at Shusha police battalion of IDPs from Mesheli and Jamilli villages who settled in the 105 vocational school were travelling in that helicopter to Kosalar village of the Khojaly district to switch the posts. They were also killed. The bodies of the soldiers were brought to Berde for burial. I saw how the village residents were devastated by the death of them. I could say that this attack paralyzed the country.

`I stood in the middle of Aghdam-Berde road after 7 o`clock in the morning. I called all cars to attend the funeral ceremony. Berde residents give the killed soldiers` families financial and moral support. Three of the soldiers were buried in the new cemetery. One of them was sent to Lachin district as his father requested`, Mahmudova said.

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