The villages of Malibeyli, Ashaghi and Yukhari Guschular, which are among the largest settlements of Karabakh, are located in Shusha district,  in the foothills of the Karabakh mountain range. At the end of October and during November 1991, more than 30 villages inhabited by Azerbaijanis in the mountainous part of Karabakh were burned, destroyed and plundered by the armed forces of Armenia.

As the area had been under siege since 1991, it could only be reached by helicopter. On January 28, 1992, MI-8 helicopter No. 27137, flying from Aghdam to Shusha, was blown up by Armenian rocket fire from Khankendi direction over the village of Khalfali, as a result of which 3 crew members and 41 passengers were tragically killed. Since early 1992, the Armenian army occupied the last Azerbaijani settlements in the Upper Karabakh one after another.

In order to occupy Khojaly, the Armenian armed groups decided to occupy the villages of Malibeyli, Ashaghi and Yukhari Guschular first. On February 10, 1992, Armenian armed groups attacked the village of Malibeyli from three sides. Up to 3,000 residents of Malibeyli, Ashaghi and Yukhari Guschular villages were forced to move either to Khojaly or to Aghdam to avoid falling into enemy hands. A total of 60 people carried out the safe evacuation of 3,000 people. However, the enemy got ready for committing heinous murder and take the population hostage in the direction of Khojaly, took a position on heights near the villages of Aghbulag and Pirjamal, and exerted control over the road through which the population could cross. During the attack, about 50 peaceful Azerbaijanis were killed, more than 100 were injured or taken hostage.

On February 11-12, 1992, Malibeyli, Ashaghi and Yukhari Guschular villages of Shusha were completely occupied by Armenian armed groups. These bloody events were carried out with the participation of the 366th motor rifle regiment of the former USSR. At that time, Armenian volunteers from Syria, Lebanon, the USA and France also committed bloody atrocities as part of the aggressive Armenian armed groups. Residents of these two villages, located near Khankendi, which served as a shield for the enemy, fought courageously against the Armenian aggression in 1988-1992. 
    
Malibeyli tragedy - the massacre committed by Armenia - was the beginning of the road to the Khojaly genocide.

Recommended literature:

1. Hacıyev, İsmayıl Muxtar oğlu. Ermənilərin Azərbaycana qarşı ərazi iddiaları və qanlı cinayətləri : monoqrafiya / İ. M. Hacıyev ; red. F. Y. Səfərli ; rəy.: M. R. Quliyev, H. Cəfərov. - Naxçıvan : Əcəmi NPB, 2012. - 192 s.
2. Məmmədov, Nazim Rəhbər oğlu. Dağlıq Qarabağ gerçəklikləri : soyqırımı, terror, deportasiya, işğal: XX yüzillik / N. R. Məmmədov ; red. Q. Ə. Hacıyev ; AMEA A.A. Bakıxanov adına Tarix İnstitutu. - Bakı : Təhsil, 2009. - 272 s.
3. Musayev, Talıb Qurban oğlu. Ermənilər və faciələrimiz : XX əsrdə ermənilər tərəfindən xalqımızın başına gətirilmiş faciələr / T. Q. Musayev ; red.: Ə. Y. Ələkbərli, M. T. Musayev. - III nəşri. - Bakı : Nurlar NPM, 2008. - 320 s.
4. Арзуманлы, Вагиф Минад оғлу. Тарихин гара сәһифәләри: Депортасија. Сојгырым. Гачгынлыг : монографија / В. Арзуманлы, Н. Мустафа. - Бакы : Гартал, 1998. - 280 с.