Azerbaijan is commemorating the 8th anniversary of the country’s military success in the 2016 April battles.

Axar.az reports that on April 2, 2016, all the frontier positions and settlements of Azerbaijan were subjected to heavy fire by the Armenian Armed Forces. As a result of the shelling of Azerbaijan’s settlements located along the line of contact, six civilians were killed, including two children under the age of 16. Numerous public and private facilities, including civil infrastructure, were severely damaged as a result of the attack.

Azerbaijan responded with an armed offensive, which resulted in four days of fighting, as the country liberated several important strategic spots previously occupied by the Armenian Armed Forces.

Among the liberated territories during the four-day fighting were heights around the village of Talish, as well as the Seysulan settlement, and Leletepe Hill located in the direction of the Fuzuli district. As a result of the April battles, 30 Armenian tanks, up to 15 artillery installations, and engineering fortifications were subjected to destruction, 320 Armenian soldiers were killed and over 500 enemy soldiers were wounded.

Military operations along the line of contact between the Azerbaijani and Armenian forces ceased on April 5, by agreement of the parties.

As a result of the successful counteroffensive, more than 2,000 hectares of territory were liberated from the Armenian occupation. The April battles, in general, demonstrated the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev's special attention to the army, the high combat readiness of the Azerbaijan Armed Forces, and their ability to liberate the occupied territories.

Azerbaijani army’s victories in the April battles have laid the foundation for the liberation of Azerbaijani lands from the Armenian occupation during the 44-day war (from late Sept. through early Nov.2020).