An Azerbaijani woman said she is proud of her father and husband whom she lost during the wars against Armenia over the past three decades and glad to have such heroic men in her life.
Nezire Memmedova’s father Haydar Hamidov was killed on Feb. 6, 1992, during the first war with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
“My father Haydar Hamidov has become a heroic martyr for the sake of our lands’ independence. My father was a courageous, patriotic hero. Just like my father, we were also raised in a patriotic manner, ready to lose our lives for our lands’ independence. My mother raised us in a great way and made sure that we got a well-rounded education. She was also a brave, fearless lady,” Nezire told Ihlas News Agency (IHA).
Relations between the former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
When new clashes erupted on Sept. 27, the Armenian Army launched attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violated several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.
During the conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages from the Armenian occupation.
The two countries signed a Russian-brokered agreement on Nov. 10 to end the fighting and work toward a comprehensive resolution.
The truce is seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia, whose armed forces have been withdrawing in line with the agreement.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev hailed the agreement as a victory for his country and a defeat of Armenia, saying Baku’s military success enabled it to gain an upper hand to end the 30-year occupation of its territory.
Before the second Nagorno-Karabakh war, about 20% of Azerbaijan’s territory had been under illegal Armenian occupation for nearly three decades.
Growing up as a daughter of a martyr, Memmedova married a soldier, to the surprise of many, and had 12 blessed years with her husband, until the new clashes erupted. Serving in the Azerbaijani army for 18 years, Lt. Col. Anar Memmedov did not hesitate to join the operation to liberate the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh lands from Armenian forces. Memmedov fought on the front lines both in Fuzuli and Hadrut and played a major role in both provinces’ liberation.
On Oct. 20, during an Armenian attack on the Daşaltı (Karintak) region, Memmedov was killed and was survived by his wife and two daughters.
“Everyone asked me whether or not I was afraid to get married to a soldier since I already had a great loss. I told them that I was not afraid. I am very lucky to get the opportunity to meet with my husband Anar. I am proud of him. I will continue to be proud of him for the rest of my life. How lucky I am to be able to get married to such a brave man and spend 12 years with him,” she said, adding that for such a fearless, courageous man, there was no more proper way to die than in battle.
He was always supposed to be a martyr, Nezire said.
“When the new clashes erupted, Anar was injured but did not tell us about it. After spending a day in the hospital, he left without completing his treatment and went back to the war zone saying ‘my children are waiting for me,’ referring to his soldiers,” Nezire further explained.
After returning to the war, during the clashes in Fuzuli, Memmedov saved 26 Azerbaijani soldiers and then had to face the Armenian troops by himself. He continued holding them off until his ammunition was exhausted and then killed himself with the last remaining bullet in order to avoid being a captive.
“Whenever I washed Anar’s shirts, I would find a bullet hidden in his pocket. When I told him that I was worried for him, he said that the bullet is the ‘honor of a soldier,'” Nezire remembered, and added: “I am proud of Anar, just like I am proud of my father.”
Nezire’s mother, Fahriye Hamideova, on the other hand, expressed that she had to raise her three children alone after her husband was killed. Facing criticism for letting her marry a soldier, Hamidov said that she ignored all the comments and let her daughter make her own decisions.
“I have never regretted letting my daughter get married to a man like Anar,” she said.
Memmediv’s daughter, Zeynep Memmedli, also expressed pride in her father and underlined that one day, she would like to get married to a soldier as well.
A total of 2,783 Azerbaijani soldiers were killed in the recent fighting, while 1,245 others were injured.
Efforts to determine the names of 103 unidentified soldiers through DNA inspections continue while more than 100 more remain missing.
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