Battle of Aghdam The Battle of Aghdam or Battle of Agdam ( June – July 1993 ) – took place on July 23 , 1993 in the context of the Nagorno - Karabakh War , during which Armenian forces of Nagorno - Karabakh Defense Army took control of Aghdam . Background . Following Operation Goranboy in 1992 , the Azeri forces lost the control of the territory of former Nagorno - Karabakh Autonomous Oblast by mid - 1993 . During the military coup in Ganja by Colonel Surat Huseynov followed by political turmoil in Baku in June 1993 , Huseynov ' s pulled his forces back from Karabakh front and marched on Baku . Taking advantage of the power struggle in Baku , the Armenian forces advanced on Agdam . The city of Agdam is located about 30 km northeast of Stepanakert . Azerbaijanis in Agdam and Armenians in Stepanakert and Askeran would exchange heavy artillery fire . The shelling of Agdam became more intense starting from early March 1993 . Battle . The assault on Agdam started on June 12 from north and south of Agdam using Grad missile lanchers , heavy artillery and tanks . The campaign also included simultaneous assault on Tartar . The first attack on the city was repelled by Azerbaijani defense . The clash was marked by the death of Monte Melkonian , a famed Armenian military commander . Russian journalist Dmitri Pisarenko who filmed the clash later wrote that the tape had been confiscated by the enraged Commander in Chief of the Nagorno - Karabakh Defense Army Samvel Babayan who was concerned that the failure of his army widely praised as " phenomenal " by the Russian media would negatively affect its image abroad . However , Armenians were able to capture Farukh mountain 10 km away from Agdam overlooking the town from the northeast . Khydyrly village around which Azerbaijani forces took up positions fell next . Shelling of Qiyasli village situated several kilometers behind the city of Agdam to the east , started on June 20 and within three days was overrun by Armenian forces resulting in death of Azerbaijani civilians . At the same time , the Armenian forces moved towards the city from the south capturing Merzili and Yusifcanlı villages . By July 5 , the city of Agdam was surrounded by Armenian forces and was subject to heavy artillery and Grad bombardment . A massive exodus of Azerbaijani civilians was observed while Azerbaijani forces managed to re - take several villages . The city of Agdam fell on July 23 . Within the next few weeks Armenian forces systematically looted and burned the city and surrounding villages . Smoke could be seen from ten to twenty miles away . According to the Western diplomat active in OSCE Minsk Group , the looting and burning of Azerbaijani city and villages was a well - orchestrated plan organized by Karabakh Armenian authorities . During the offensive and capture of Agdam , the Armenian forces committed several violations of the rules of war including arson , hostage - taking and ethnic cleansing . The city of Agdam was looted and burned under orders of Armenian authorities . Some Azerbaijani soldiers who were captured by Armenian troops in Agdam and Tartar were shot on the spot . Aftermath . Despite the national mobilization , Azerbaijani forces were able to retake only a few villages but not the city . Today the city lies in ruins and is used by the Nagorno - Karabakh Defense Army as a vital strategic defense point . Following the battle of Aghdam , on July 25 ceasefire was announced by Karabakh Armenian authorities and Azerbaijani government . In the course of next three months , Karabakh Armenians with the support from Armenia captured four new Azerbaijani districts of Qubadli , Jabrayil , Fizuli and Zangelan resulting in displacement of 250 , 000 – 300 , 000 Azerbaijani civilians . On July 29 , 1993 , UN Security Council passed the UN Security Council Resolution 853 reaffirming Resolution 822 and condemning seizure of Agdam and other areas of Azerbaijan demanding a complete withdrawal of Armenian troops from these areas and asking the Government of Armenia to exert its influence to achieve compliance by the Armenians of the Nagorno - Karabakh region in Azerbaijan . Several villages such as Chirakhly and the city of Agdam became ghost town s . Other villages of the Agdam Rayon were repopulated by the IDP s from the former NKAO .