Photo: Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defense

BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 17. The Azerbaijani Army launched a counter-offensive operation, later called the "Iron Fist," on September 27, 2020, in response to the large-scale provocation of the Armenian armed forces along the frontline.

The 44-day second Karabakh war ended with the liberation of Azerbaijan’s territories from nearly 30-year Armenian occupation and the restoration of territorial integrity.

Trend presents the chronicle of the 21th day of the Second Karabakh war:

- President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev addressed to the nation and announced the liberation of the city of Fuzuli and several villages in the Fuzuli district.

- Azerbaijan’s First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva shared a post on her official Instagram account about the terror attack committed by Armenia on Ganja city. "Ganja is the heart of Azerbaijan. And, nobody will ever subdue staunch spirit of its residents!" she wrote in her another post.

- Armenian armed forces fired missiles at Ganja and Mingachevir. The death toll in Ganja reached 13, and 52 people were injured. As a result of the Armenian shelling of Ganja, 20 houses were completely destroyed.

- Azerbaijani troops have managed to advance in different directions of the front. A colonel, chief of the Armenian armed forces’ engineering fortifications was liquidated.

- A large number of Armenian manpower was liquidated, military equipment and Su-25 aircraft belonging to Armenian armed forces were destroyed. A split began in the ranks of the Armenian armed forces, as the "volunteers" left their positions arbitrarily.

- President of the Republic of Azerbaijan awarded Hikmat Mirzayev [who participated in the liberation of the territories from Armenian occupation] the highest military rank of lieutenant general.

- Another armored vehicle, "Tor-M2KM" anti-aircraft missile systems, BM-21 "Grad" missile launcher, and "S-125" anti-aircraft missile system belonging to the Armenian armed forces were destroyed.