Viewpoints on Xocali

Just some shortened extra info on the different views who and what were responsible for Xocali Massacre:

1992 is a year Armenian troops are on the offensive. One of the towns in the line of offence is Xocali. Its location happened to be of strategic importance. The city is situated 10 kilometers to South-East from Khankendi/Stepanakert, on the road Aghdam-Shusha, Askeran-Khankendi. It also had the only airport in Nagorno-Karabakh.

From late 1991 Xocali had practically been blocked by by Armenian armed formations and early 1992, full blockade of Xocali was imposed. From January, electricity and gas transfer were cut. Food shortages started to appear. Many inhabitants began to leave the city. The only way out of the town at this point was with helicopters. Early February, the air corridor is closed as well.

Xocali at this point was protected by an Azerbaijani troop of around 160 men, many allegedly rooks. Frequent and insistent requests by the head of executive power were made for total evacuation of the peaceful population- Requests that were ignored by Baku.

On February 25th, the Armenian armed formations began assault of Xocali. They surrounded the city from three sides, leaving one side as a free-corridor for the citizens to escape. These citizens were indeed allowed the pass through the free-corridor. What happens afterwards remains disputed, so here multiple versions:

Azerbaijani version
When the fleeing citizens and some retreating fighters nearly reached the border of Azerbaijani controlled area (direction Aghdam), they came upon an Armenian military post who opened fire. People were shot down indiscriminately. Bodies were burned, limbs were removed, and scalping occurred. Azerbaijani Authorities have put out the following statement:
• 613 killed, among them, 63 children, 106 women, 70 elders.
• More than 1,000 hurt or wounded.
• More than 1,000 taken as Prisoners of War (POWs).
• 150 never accounted for.
• 8 families were killed completely.
• 25 children lost both parents.
• 130 children lost one of the parents.
• 487 people were wounded, including 76 children.

Armenian Versions
1. The Armenian side states that the killings occurred as a result of wartime military operations. They provided the free-pass. However, evacuation was partly prevented by Azerbaijani forces. This view is partly based upon an interview with Ayaz Mutalibov, the then ruling president of Azerbaijan. He made statements that infer that the massacre had been committed by Azerbaijan Popular Front militants who shot their own civilians escaping through the corridor. These statements should be understood in the light of Mutalibov being ousted from power as a consequence of the events in Xocali. However, Mutalibov has condemned these views as blatant misinterpretation of his words by Armenians.

2. Armenian officials have recognized that the casualty count was high, but state that it is justifiable: fleeing civilians had mingled with the retreating defenders. These defenders shot, leading Armenian forces to open fired in return, killing soldier and civilian alike.

3. Involvement of Azerbaijani Popular Front soldiers plays are role in another Armenian version. It states that these soldiers had massacred both Azerbaijan and Armenian civilians, mutilating the bodies and mixing them. As such, they could lay blame upon the Armenians, depicting themselves to finally be underdogs in the conflict.

4. There are also Armenian versions that admit the atrocities were committed by their side mainly due to strategic significance, but that motives of revenge and image played important roles too. Command of Xocali was a strategic, main goal: it would open the corridor connecting Askeran and Stepanakert, and give them the only airport in the region. Serge Sarkisian (who held both positions of defence Minister and president) stated that while the casualties were exaggerated, and fleeing Azerbaijanis had put up armed resistance, he also said : “Before Xocali, the Azerbaijanis thought that they were joking with us, they thought that the Armenians were people who could not raise their hand against the civilian population. We were able to break that. And that's what happened. And we should also take into account that amongst those boys were people who had fled from Baku and Sumgait".
This statement is mirrored by Markar Melkonian (brother of famous Armenian Leader): "Xocali had been a strategic goal, but it had also been an act of revenge." The date of the massacre in Xocali had a special significance: it was the run-up to the anniversary of the pogrom in Sumgait.

International Version
The international versions have pointed out that the involvement of Azerbaijani troops is unlikely, and that the massacre is seemingly the work of Armenian troops. They state that even if the victims consisted of civilians and fleeing fighters, by the Geneva War Convention, the Armenian troops should have taken measures to protect the innocent. Also, none of the circumstances justify the burning and mutilation of bodies.

Please note, this information is a composed of views found on the internet. Please see other Xojali post for links. Also, make up your own mind about it.