Alif Haciyev Latif oglu () (June 24, 1953 – February 26, 1992) was an Azerbaijani

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

Commandant Commandant ( or ; ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ...

of Khojaly Airport and

National Hero of Azerbaijan The National Hero of Azerbaijan () is the highest national title in the Republic of Azerbaijan. The title was named on 25 March 1992, and the "Qizil Ulduz" Medal awarded as a sign of receiving this title was established by a separate law on 15 J ...

Early years

Alif Hajiyev was born on June 24, 1953, in Khojaly. From 1971 through 1973, Hajiyev served in

Soviet Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also known as the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, the Red Army (1918–1946) and the Soviet Army (1946–1991), were the armed forces of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republi ...

and was stationed in

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

. In 1974–84, he held various positions in Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belorussian SSR and

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

of NKAO of

Azerbaijan SSR The Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, also referred to as the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic, Azerbaijan SSR, Azerbaijani SSR, AzSSR, Soviet Azerbaijan or simply Azerbaijan, was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union be ...

. In December 1990, Alif Hajiyev was appointed head of administration and

commandant Commandant ( or ; ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ...

of Khojaly airport. In December 1991, Hajiyev was promoted to a rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

Khojaly Massacre

Alif Hajiyev helped the completely surrounded town survive for a few months with no gas and electricity, limited supply of food. When the Armenian offensive from three sides started on February 25, Alif gave an order to evacuate the town. The few defenders along with Hajiyev escorted the crowd of civilians along the Gorgor river valley overnight to the open plain near the village Nakhichevanli, just six miles away from Azerbaijani positions in Şelli village of

Aghdam Aghdam () is a town and the nominal capital of the Aghdam District of Azerbaijan. Founded in the 18th century, it was granted city status in 1828 and grew considerably during the Soviet period. Aghdam lies from Stepanakert at the eastern foot ...

, where the Khojaly Massacre took place on February 26.

Death

Alif Hajiyev was one of the Azeri combatants escorting hundreds of Azerbaijani civilians fleeing Khojaly. While crossing a road in groups, civilians were defended by Hajiyev who exchanged fire with Armenian troops. While covering the third group, Hajiyev was shot dead while changing magazines. The bullet hit him in the head. Hajiyev was one of 40 defendants of the city which were stationed in Khojaly. Only 10 survived. more than 200 (and potentially up to 1,000) Azerbaijani civilians were killed during the subsequent massacre. Hajiyev was buried in Martyrs' Lane, Baku.

Honors

He was survived by his wife, Gala Hajiyeva. He was posthumously awarded the title of the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hajiyev, Alif 1953 births 1992 deaths Azerbaijani military personnel of the Nagorno-Karabakh War Azerbaijani military personnel killed in action People from Khojali National Heroes of Azerbaijan Victims of the Khojaly massacre

Early years

Khojaly Massacre

Death

Honors

See also

References