On December 25 , 1991 he was appointed Chief of Department of Ministry of Internal Affairs for Karabakh region of Azerbaijan . He was subsequently promoted to the rank of General Major and appointed Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan Republic on February 24 , 1992 at the time of escalation of Nagorno-Karabakh War and two days before the Khojaly Massacre . Tahir Aliyev replaced the interim minister , Shahin Musayev who was Chief of General Staff of Azerbaijani Armed Forces at the time . Musayev had temporarily taken over the ministry once the previous Minister of Defense , Tajeddin Mehdiyev was sacked on February 17 , 1992 for his inability to hold the front and avoid capture of strategic villages Karkijahan , Malibeyli and Gushchular and Garadaghly in Mountainous Karabakh
Khojaly Massacre
Khojaly Massacre
Tahir Aliyev