The Capture of Garadaghly occurred during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, a conflict rooted in ethnic tensions and territorial disputes between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The village of Garadaghly, located within Azerbaijan's borders yet predominantly populated by Azerbaijanis, became a focal point for military actions as Armenian forces sought to secure territories claimed by both sides. On February 17, Armenian troops conducted an operation resulting in the deaths of more than 20 Azerbaijani civilians, marking a violent escalation in an already volatile situation. The attack not only resulted in loss of life but also generated significant communal trauma and animosity between the two ethnic groups.The First Nagorno-Karabakh War emerged after the Soviet Union's dissolution, with ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, an autonomous region within Azerbaijan, seeking unification with Armenia. Despite the ceasefire established in 1994, tensions remained, causing subsequent conflicts, including the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. The massacre in Garadaghly underlined the brutal nature of the conflict and its capacity to ignite cycles of violence and counter-violence. As such, it served as a grim reminder of the human cost of territorial disputes.