Associated Press published an article where it clarified the devastation caused by the Armenian Armed Forces in Azerbaijan’s Aghdam city.
The article says, that the joy of returning to Aghdam for Azerbaijani people is seared with grief and anger as Azerbaijanis confront its devastation.
"One of the city's happier eccentricities, the bread museum, is in ruins. The cognac factory is gone. After the population was driven out in 1993 by fighting, they were followed by Armenian pillagers who stripped the city bare, seeking both booty and construction materials," the article reads.
As an example, AP also cited the words of two former Aghdam residents. "We had beautiful buildings, hotels, a governor's building, all the prominent buildings that were here have no trace left behind. It's like it's all destroyed and a magnitude 12 earthquake hit here, unfortunately. This is the state of (Aghdam)," the former resident, 63-year-old Arif Haciyev said.
"After 27 (years) I have returned to my Aghdam, my joy cannot be expressed by words. However, I couldn't enter my house because of the quantity of land mines placed there," 61-year-old Zamanova Naciba said.
The article further said that the city of Aghdam was once home to 50,000, known for its white homes and an elaborate three-story teahouse, but now the city is so ruined that it's sometimes called the "Hiroshima of the Caucasus."
In addition, the article also highlights that former Azerbaijani residents of Aghdam walked back to their city on Wednesday over a quarter of a century after they were driven out by fighting.
