Modern.az website's "Last photo remaining from the martyr" rubric continues. This time, our rubric is dedicated to the dear memory of martyr-colonel, National Hero Ilgar Mirzayev.
According to the daughter of the martyr-colonel, Gulnara Mirzayeva, the last photo they took with her father was a family photo. That photo was taken on March 15, 2020, in Shamkir, where Ilgar Mirzayev served.
"At that time, my father was serving in Shamkir. My brother and I were already getting higher education and therefore stayed in Baku. But we valued every small holiday, every opportunity, and went to him," Gulnara Mirzayev recalls.
Our interviewee says that the transition to online education during the pandemic perhaps made their family the happiest:
"Because this gave us the opportunity to stay with my father longer than before. Now, looking back, I understand that those three months we spent together in Shamkir were as if they were a gift to us. The last three months that life bestowed upon us, that we lived together...
My father would take us somewhere every day, and we would spend time together as a family. This photo was also taken on one of those days.
At that time, we thought it was just an ordinary memory. None of us knew that over the years, this photo would become not just a photo for us, but a symbol of the most valuable days we lived together, the most beautiful memories, and our last family moments with my father."
It should be noted that Ilgar Anzor oglu Mirzayev was born on May 8, 1973, in the city of Gardabani. Ilgar Mirzayev studied at the full secondary school in Gardabani from 1980-1990. In 1991, Ilgar Mirzayev submitted his documents to the Baku Higher Combined Command School (BHCCS) to study.
Ilgar Mirzayev was admitted to the Baku Higher Combined Command School (BHCCS) on August 1, 1991, and graduated from it in 1995 with a specialization in "Artillery."
On August 10, 2003, Ilgar Mirzayev became a student of the Military Academy of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan to improve his specialization. He successfully completed his education on July 2, 2005.
Ilgar Mirzayev, who started his military service in 1995, initially served in various command positions at the Baku Higher Combined Arms Command School. From 2001, he worked in military units located in the regions as chief of staff, commander of an artillery division, deputy commander of a military unit, head of the operations department, and other responsible positions. For his impeccable service, he successively received the military ranks of "senior lieutenant," "captain," "major," and in 2012, "colonel."
Later, Ilgar Mirzayev served as Commander of the artillery division and coordinator for fire support of the military unit in military unit "N" from July 7, 2012, to July 4, 2013, and as Commander of the howitzer artillery division of military unit "N" from July 4, 2013, to December 28, 2013.
For the next 2 years, he continued his service in the Ministry of Defense. Ilgar Mirzayev served as an inspector of the Combat and Combat Support Department of the Main Military Inspection of the Ministry of Defense from December 28, 2013, to August 8, 2015.
After serving in the Ministry of Defense for 2 years, he served as Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of military unit "N" from August 14, 2015, to October 28, 2015.
On October 28, 2015, Ilgar Mirzayev was the Commander of military unit "N". Starting from the night of April 1-2, 2016, fierce battles began between the units of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan and Armenia in the Tartar and Jabrayil-Fuzuli directions of the front.
During the military operations, which went down in history as the April battles, Ilgar Mirzayev, who was the Commander of military unit "N", fought in the battles in the Tartar region direction of the front. During the night battles, favorable positions, strategic points, including Talish peak, in the Talish direction of the Tartar region were liberated from occupation by the Azerbaijani Army.
_nIlgar Mirzayev was appointed Chief of Artillery and Head of the Artillery Department of the 3rd Army Corps on February 23, 2019.
Starting from noon on July 12, 2020, units of the Armenian Armed Forces fired at the positions of the State Border Service in the Tovuz region section of the Azerbaijan-Armenia state border with artillery installations.
In the morning of July 14, Major General Polad Hashimov, Deputy Commander of the 3rd Army Corps, Ilgar Mirzayev, who was the artillery commander, and the soldiers under his command were martyred on the front line during the battle in the direction of Tovuz region.
In the afternoon of July 14, Ilgar Mirzayev's p was brought to the Ahmadli settlement of the Khatai district where he lived. In the evening, Ilgar Mirzayev's p was brought to his home by a crowd of thousands of people.
The farewell ceremony for Major General Polad Hashimov and Colonel Ilgar Mirzayev, who were martyred during the Tovuz battles, took place on the same day, July 15. Ilgar Mirzayev was buried in the II Alley of Honor.
On December 9, 2020, President Ilham Aliyev signed an order on awarding the title of "National Hero of Azerbaijan" to three servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan. With that order, Major General Polad Hashimov (posthumously) and Colonel Ilgar Mirzayev (posthumously), who showed bravery in the Tovuz battles, were awarded the title of "National Hero of Azerbaijan."
