Lankaran ADR operation

Since before the declaration of independence by Azerbaijan, the southern region of the country was under the control of the Bolsheviks, and then the White Guards, there was an urgent need for a military operation in the territory. In late July, early August 1919, the opportunity arose for the introduction of military forces in the Lankaran region. To this end, a special unit was created, with Habib Bey Salimov as commander. On August 4, 1919, the Minister of War Samed Bek Mehmandarov signed an order to send a military unit to Lenkoran. According to the order, the unit should move to Lankaran district along the route Hajigabul, Salyan, Khol-Tekle (Pokrovsk), Prishib (Goytepe), neutralize and disarm the armed groups in the region. On the eve of the start of the operation, the Minister of War appealed to the population to hand over their weapons. On August 12, according to the order of the Minister of War, military groups gathered at Hajigabul. The military group consisted of the V Baku Foot Regiment, the 3rd Sheki Cavalry Regiment, the II Light Artillery Battery, the VI Mountain Artillery Battery and a separate howitzer battery, a fortification platoon and an armored platoon.

Starting on August 14, the detachment the next day reached Salyan. The commander of the detachment, Habib Bey Salimov, sent his representatives to the armed groups in Lenkoran and demanded that they immediately recognize the government of the ADR. In parallel, weapons were collected from Russian villages ^{[ clarify ]} along the route. On August 17-18, 3 cannons and 5 machine guns were confiscated in these villages and sent to Baku.

In his telegram of Habib Beyu, the Minister of War Mehmandarov demanded decisive steps in order to prevent the authority of the army and the government of the ADRs from falling and ordered to return immediately to Baku with the detachment after the operation was completed.

On August 20, a detachment surrounded the village of Pokrovsk and began collecting weapons from the population. Rural population ^{[ clarify ]} 2 guns and 4 machine guns were confiscated. The detachment reached Lenkoran on August 23, 1919. Thanks to lightning-fast measures, the detachment was able to accomplish all the tasks assigned to it without any resistance. The Russian population of the region was disarmed, the Russian armed group led by Colonel Ilyashevich surrendered to the ADR.

As a result, the republican army produced a large number of weapons and military equipment. September 3, 1919 Lankaran squad returned to Hajigabul. As a result of the operation, the ADRs secured their sovereignty in the southern region of the country.

• Encyclopedia of the ADR, item "Lenkoran ADR operation
• Creation and activities of the state border defense system in the period of ADR (May 1918-April 1920)
• Manaf Suleymanov, Nuri Pasha and brothers in arms, Baku, 2004.