RETURN TO JABRAYIL

Thanks to the successful counter-offensive in the occupied territories, the Azerbaijani army continues the liberation of our villages and cities. The first such city was Jabrayil. After 27 years of occupation, on October 4, 2020, the capital of the city and several villages were liberated from Armenian occupants.

The population of the district believes that the name of the administrative unit is associated with the name of Jabrayil Ata, who lived here in the 8th century, one of the close associates of the ruler Sultan Ahmed. However, countless ancient monuments, including the caves, ruins of defensive towers, fortresses, sanctuaries show that this land has more ancient roots.

Our guest is the midfielder of the famous football club Gabala, one of the most famous football players of Azerbaijan, Javid Huseynov, who is originally from Jabrayil.

Javid Huseynov was born on March 9, 1988 in the village of Garajalli of Jabrayil. His father, Shakir Huseynov, became a martyr during the first Karabakh war back in the 1990s. Javid began his conversation with a story about the heroism of Azerbaijani soldiers: “The occupation of native lands has an extremely negative impact on any individual. Imagine you have a house, but you cannot get there. My mother was a teacher at a primary school. My father was a teacher of physics. I remember Indian films demonstrated in the city center. There was no cinema and films were demonstrated in the courtyards. I remember the stadium in Jabrayil. I used to visit my grandfather in the village of Garajalli often.

“We are all happy to witness the successful operations of our army, which responded with a counteroffensive to the enemy's provocation on September 27. I have always said that it is high time to liberate our lands. Having conquered five or six of our villages in just half a day, we clearly demonstrated the strength of Azerbaijani soldiers. I am proud of our army, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev. We greeted the news of the liberation of Jabrayil with great joy. It is very difficult to express my feelings with words. One of my friends told me about this by phone. He congratulated me on the liberation of Jabrayil. After the announcement on TV, everyone began to congratulate each other. Garajalli was the last village liberated. After that, it was announced that Jabrail is ours again.”

The former player of the national team is confident that all the occupied territories of Azerbaijan will be liberated very soon: “Jabrayil was liberated, but this does not mean that I do not care about the fate of other occupied territories. We will experience the greatest joy after the liberation of all our lands. Jabrayil or Kalbajar - there is no difference. Karabakh belongs to Azerbaijan, and the whole world should understand this."

Remembering his childhood in Jabrayil, the 32-year-old midfielder recalled how he had to leave his home at the age of five: “Our family was expelled from their native places. I remember those years well. Although I was only five years old at the time, I did not forget anything. We are natives of Garajalli but I lived with my parents in the city of Jabrayil. I remember our house, an apartment on the top floor of a four-storey building. A nine-story house was being built nearby, but it was never completed. I remember the battles at the very beginning of the war. I'll never forget. Once my father returned home after the battle, stayed with us for a while and again went to the front. He never returned back."

Javid recalls his last meeting with his father who heroically fought in battles: “The last time I saw him was in a hospital in Baku, where he was treated after being wounded. But here, too, he did not stay long. In the battles for the village of Gullu, Aghdam, he was wounded by a shrapnel. He spent only three days in the hospital and again went to the front. That meeting at the hospital was our last one. When I went to see my father the next day, I was told that he had returned to his friends at the front without even asking permission. My father was the battalion commander. His heroic death for the liberation of his native land changed our whole life. All this time we have been waiting for the return to Jabrayil ”.

Javid is dreaming about an early return to his native places: “I look forward to returning to Jabrayil after the end of the war. I would like to see the house in which we lived then. I want to see our yard, the bazaar in the city center, the stadium. I don't know if they have survived... With the end of the war, I will only think about returning to Jabrayil."

Another popular Azerbaijani footballer, player of the national team and FC Garabagh, Gara Garayev, was born in another village liberated by the Azerbaijani army - Horadiz, Fuzuli. It was occupied in 1993, when Garayev was only one year old. An experienced player declared his desire to support the soldiers fighting in the battle zone: “All our efforts, not only on the football field, but also outside, are only for the sake of our soldiers. We try to support our state and our army in all our deeds as much as we can. Every time we go to the field, we think about how to please our army."

Garayev is immensely happy with the liberation of his native village of Horadiz from the occupation: “I was away from my homeland for 28 years. Baku has never been so alien to me as it is today. Now I already feel myself in the capital as in a foreign land. The liberation of my village does not mean at all that we will remain indifferent to the fate of our other occupied territories. My Motherland begins from Shusha, Khankendi. I will celebrate the liberation of my native village only after the liberation of Shusha and Khankendi by our army. I believe it will happen."