History teacher, participant of the Patriotic War Ilham Afandiyev Gudrat oglu showed an example of heroism both on the battlefield and in the classroom. He contributed to our nation's just war by participating in the Second Karabakh War.
On this occasion, AzEdu.az spoke with the teacher.
I participated in military operations from the first day to the last day of the Patriotic War:
"I was born in 1977 in Boyuk Amili village of Gabala region. In 1995-2001, I studied at the Faculty of History of Baku State University for bachelor's and master's degrees. In 2002-2004, I worked as a junior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Academy of Sciences. In 2004-2005, I served as the head of intelligence in a military unit located in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Since 2009, I have been working at the Gabala State Vocational Education Center for Tourism and Hospitality.
On June 18, 2020, I voluntarily registered, and on September 21 of the same year, I participated in military training. On September 27, I started military operations from the direction of Tartar region towards Sugovushan. I participated in military operations from the first day to the last day of the war. I was awarded the medals "For the Liberation of Sugovushan" and "Participant of the Patriotic War" by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
On December 30 of the same year, I completed my military service, was discharged, and returned to Gabala. I continued my activities at the Gabala State Vocational Education Center as both a teacher and the head of the Civil Defense headquarters.
In 2026, I participated in the MIQ exam and from that year, I started working as a history teacher at the Topbag general education school named after Arif Shirinov in Gabala region. Currently, I work at both Topbag general education school and Gabala State Vocational Education Center".
Every one of our martyrs, wounded, losses, and liberated lands has left an indelible mark on my memory. Every day, every minute, every second we lived in the war is an unforgettable memory:
"I have many impressions about the war and battles. May Allah have mercy on our martyrs. During the war, I served as a platoon commander within a special purpose military unit. In fact, every day, every minute, every second in the war is full of memories. The presence of our martyrs, our wounded, the liberation of our lands, our losses, the victory over the enemy – each of these is a separate memory. I would just like to share a few events that remained in my memory there.
Once, there was a unit equipped with anti-tank weapons called "Spike" with us. Since their vehicle was hit, the soldiers of that unit were seconded to us. There were five of them. Since spare parts arrived, they went down to the forest area below to pick them up. We were waiting for them to return. At that time, the area where they were was subjected to enemy artillery fire. At that moment, we were horrified that we might have already lost those five people.
Due to the enemy's continuous and uninterrupted artillery fire, it was impossible to go in their direction. Everyone already thought that those five people – one officer and four soldiers – had died. Approximately an hour and a half, forty minutes later, they returned to us safe and sound. This was truly an unforgettable feeling. It is even difficult to imagine the joy a person experiences at that moment.
Of course, every time we heard the news of the liberation of our lands, we experienced great joy. Why do I say we heard? Because we participated in military operations in the direction of Sugovushan. The former name of Sugovushan settlement was Madagiz. After Sugovushan was liberated, Mr. President restored its historical name and renamed it Sugovushan.
On October 3, Sugovushan settlement was liberated. After that, the enemy showed strong resistance in that area. We continued our military operations there until November 10. We received information about our other liberated territories via radio and other channels. Every liberated land, village, settlement, and height created a great sense of joy in us".
