A native of the village of Katyrsha-Saray (Lechebnoye) near Karasubazar Abdzhemil Gafarov saw the war as an 11-year-old child. His father was immediately taken to the front, and his mother was left alone with 6 children. But soon, in May 1944, they were kicked out of their home. The family ended up in exile in the Urals, where Abdzhemil-aga lost his mother and younger brothers and sisters.