Azerbaijani-Americans Celebrate The 91st Anniversary of the Lineration of Baku by Joint Turkish-Azerbaijani Forces

Today, Azerbaijanis celebrate the 91st anniversary of an important event in the history of independent Azerbaijani statehood - the liberation of the city of Baku to become the capital of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR), the first secular and democratic establishment in the Muslim and Turkic world.

Upon the proclamation of ADR on May 28, 1918, nation’s largest city Baku was under the control of Bolshevik-led Baku Soviet headed by Stepan Shahumyan. For the two preceding months, the forces of Baku Soviet, allied with irregular armed units of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation “Dashnaktsutiun”, carried out mass killings against Azerbaijanis in Baku, Guba, Shamakhy, Lenkeran and other cities of the country. Under the pretext of fighting against the counterrevolutionary insurgency, onMarch 31 - April 3, 1918, Bolsheviks and their Dashnak allies slaughtered over 12,000 (”New Republics in the Caucasus”, The New York Times Current History, v. 11 no. 2, March 1920, p. 492) Azeri civilians in Baku alone. These tragic events are known as the beginning of Azerbaijani Genocide.

In June 1918, after the establishment of ADR government in Ganja, the Bolshevik-Dashnak militia mounted an offensive with the aim of crushing the young republic. In this difficult situation, the ADR government appealed for assistance from the Ottoman authorities. Subsequently, the joint Turkic force, known as the Caucasus Army of Islam, was formed under the leadership of Ottoman general Nuri Pasha. This force managed to stop the Bolshevik-Dashnak offensive in a short time and to inflict a heavy defeat upon the enemy units near Goychay. Under the pressure, Bolsheviks yielded their hold of Baku Soviet to the remnants of Russian Imperial army and a small British expeditionary force (also known as Dunsterforce due to being led by General Dunsterville).

By the end of August 1918, the Caucasus Army of Islam moved to the outskirts of Baku, laying siege to the city. Encircled British Dunsterforce fled the city overnight by sea, and on September 15, 1918, crushing the remainder of Russian-Dashnak irregular units, the Turkish-Azerbaijani forces liberated Baku.

The memory of Turkish soldiers who gave lives for the liberation of Azerbaijan in 1918 had always remained in the hearts of Azerbaijani people. While the tomb of an unknown Turkish soldier near Shamakhy turned into the place of an informal worship in Soviet times, after the restoration of independent Azerbaijan, a memorial honoring Turkish soldiers was erected in Baku.

AAC and ASA join in greeting all Azerbaijanis and friends on the occasion of this anniversary, and in honoring all those who gave their lives for the freedom and independence of Azerbaijan.

Source: Azerbaijani-American Coinsil
URL:www.azeris.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=103:aac-september15-2009&catid=3:pr&Itemid=1

Posted by admin September 2009

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