It was on this day in 1918 that the Caucasian Islamic Army, which included the Azerbaijani Corps, entered Baku, freeing the city from Bolshevik–Dashnak control.
Despite its difficult situation, Ottoman Turkey sent the Caucasian Islamic Army under the command of Nuru Pasha to Azerbaijan to help restore the country’s territorial integrity. In August–September 1918, despite protests from European countries against the entry of Turkish troops into Azerbaijan, the Ottoman Empire did not turn away from its fraternal duty and did not abandon Azerbaijan in its time of need.
It fulfilled its historic mission with honor. With the successful completion of the liberation mission on September 15 and the freeing of Baku from the occupiers, the Ottoman Turks made a fraternal contribution to the establishment of Azerbaijani statehood. After this great and historic victory, the capital of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was transferred from Ganja to Baku on September 17. During the liberation of Baku, the Ottoman army lost 1,130 soldiers.
On September 10, 1918, Nuru Pasha personally took over command of the Baku liberation operation. By his order of September 10, the command of the Eastern Front and its Northern Group was dissolved, and all troop movements on the front were placed directly under the command of the Caucasian Islamic Army.
In the order of September 13, 1918, addressed to the fighting divisions, the command of the Caucasian Islamic Army announced that the offensive on Baku would begin at 02:00 on September 14.
About 8,000 Ottoman soldiers and up to 7,000 local Azerbaijani fighters were assembled for the decisive assault.
At 2:00 a.m., the 5th Caucasian Division advanced toward the Geibat–Balajari railway line. At 3:00 a.m., the first line of Baku’s defense was captured, and by 6:00 a.m., the second line fell.
The enemy preparing for battle was destroyed by artillery fire. The 56th Regiment, the main hero of the offensive, seized strategic heights and pushed forward in pursuit of the enemy. The 15th Regiment took the Balajari slopes, while the Mashtaga detachment captured Sabunchi and local volunteers took the Keshla station. Avoiding direct confrontation, Armenian forces retreated into urban quarters and houses, seeking to replicate the March massacres.
On September 14, General Dunsterville, the Centrocaspian Dictatorship government, and the Baku Commissars fled the city.
On September 15, the first issue of the newspaper Azerbaijan in Ganja published news of Baku’s liberation: “Telegram from the commander of the Caucasian Islamic Army, Nuru Pasha, to the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic: Bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim! At 09:00 on September 15, 1918, the city of Baku was liberated by units of our heroic army.”
After the liberation, on September 17, the government of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic relocated from Ganja to Baku, marking the beginning of the main stage of state-building in Azerbaijan.
On September 18, units of the Caucasian Islamic Army entered Baku. The Azerbaijani Turks, the true hosts of the city, warmly welcomed the victorious army as liberators.
Thus, Azerbaijan’s independence was secured, and Armenian and Bolshevik domination in Baku and its surroundings was brought to an end.
In the military operation to liberate Baku, 1,132 soldiers of the Caucasian Islamic Army lost their lives.
