The Capture of Shusha, referred to as the Liberation of Shushi by Armenians (Armenian: Շուշիի ազատագրումը (Šušii azatagrumë); and Occupation of Shusha by Azerbaijanis (Azerbaijani: Şuşanın işğalı) was the first significant military victory by Armenian forces during the Nagorno-Karabakh War. The battle took place in the strategically important mountain town of Shusha (known as Shushi to Armenians) on the evening of May 8, 1992, and fighting swiftly concluded the following day after Armenian forces captured and drove out the defending Azeris. Armenian military commanders based in Nagorno-Karabakh's capital of Stepanakert had been contemplating the capture of the town after a hail of Azeri military bombardment had begun shelling that city.
The seizure of the town proved decisive. Shusha was the most important military stronghold that Azerbaijan held in Nagorno-Karabakh – its loss marked a turning point in the war, and led to a series of military victories by Armenian forces in the course of the conflict. However some of the shelling was, according to the accounts of former residents, either indiscriminate or intentionally aimed at civilian targets.
Read more about Capture Of Shusha: Background, Political Fallout, Turkey's Involvement, The Fifteenth Anniversary
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