Alif Haciyev Latif oglu ( az, Əlif Hacıyev Lətif oğlu) (June 24, 1953 – February 26, 1992) was an

Azerbaijani Azerbaijani may refer to: * Something of, or related to Azerbaijan * Azerbaijanis * Azerbaijani language See also * Azerbaijan (disambiguation) * Azeri (disambiguation) * Azerbaijani cuisine * Culture of Azerbaijan The culture of Azerbaijan ...

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," ...

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 ran ...

Khojaly Airport Stepanakert Airport ( hy, Ստեփանակերտի Օդանավակայան), referred to as the Khojaly Airport ( az, Xocalı Hava Limanı) in Azerbaijan, is an airport in the town of Ivanyan (Khojaly), 10 kilometers north-east of Stepanakert, ...

and

National Hero of Azerbaijan The National Hero of Azerbaijan ( az, Azərbaycan milli qəhrəmanı) is the highest Hero (title), 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 t ...

Early years

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

Soviet Armed Forces The Soviet Armed Forces, the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union and as the Red Army (, Вооружённые Силы Советского Союза), were the armed forces of the Russian SFSR (1917–1922), the Soviet Union (1922–1991), and th ...

and was stationed in

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the 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 stat ...

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

. In 1974–84, he held various positions in

Ministry of Internal Affairs An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministr ...

Belorussian SSR The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, or Byelorussian SSR; be, Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка, Bielaruskaja Savieckaja Sacyjalistyčnaja Respublika; russian: Белор� ...

and

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non- professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

NKAO The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO), DQMV, hy, Լեռնային Ղարաբաղի Ինքնավար Մարզ, ԼՂԻՄ was an Autonomous oblasts of the Soviet Union, autonomous oblast within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic th ...

of Azerbaijan SSR. 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 ran ...

Khojaly airport Stepanakert Airport ( hy, Ստեփանակերտի Օդանավակայան), referred to as the Khojaly Airport ( az, Xocalı Hava Limanı) in Azerbaijan, is an airport in the town of Ivanyan (Khojaly), 10 kilometers north-east of Stepanakert, ...

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

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 Şelli () is a village in the Agdam District of Azerbaijan. History The village was captured by Armenian forces during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War and was administrated as part of the Askeran Province of the self-proclaimed Republic of Art ...

village of

Aghdam Aghdam ( az, Ağdam) is a ghost 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 ...

, 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 Azerbaijani were killed during these events. Hajiyev was buried in

Martyrs' Lane Martyrs' Lane or Alley of Martyrs ( az, Şəhidlər Xiyabanı), formerly known as the Kirov Park, is a cemetery and memorial in Baku, Azerbaijan dedicated to those killed by the Soviet Army during Black January 1990 and in the First Nagorno-Kara ...

, 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 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