Bier Qassem23 July, 5408(Backdated)In a televised address General el-Yamin announced the capture of the city of Espirdi and the long-awaited capture of the so-called Caliph, Harun al-Hashim.
The hard-fought siege lasted months, costing the lives of an estimated thousands of soldiers. Numbers from the rebel side are much more bleak; the rebels prefer to fight to the death than surrender. The government estimates that since the beginning of the conflict over 100,000 rebels have died, either by the hand of the government or taking their own lives to avoid capture.
The crowd of soldiers cheered at the news, embracing and crying with joy. Soldiers of Badara, Kundrati, and Deltaria alike embraced as brothers, celebrating this tremendous victory.
With the leadership of ASiB collapsing, they have declared they will cling to the city of Sutan until the last man. “We shall not lay down our weapons until the Caliph is free.” said an unknown ASiB general in a radio broadcast throughout Sutan.
With the Caliph held in military prison, the president has once again reaffirmed his desire to send the genociders and terrorists to the ICC to stand trial, believing that a trial within Badara would be too controversial and inflammatory. “The final siege has begun,” the president declared yesterday, referring to the siege of Sutan, the last city occupied by the forces of ASiB, which began earlier this week. A massive coalition force faces down.
The city of Sutan has been re-built as a fortress and stronghold for ASiB. It is unrecognizable, with no evidence left that it was once the site of a city save the husks of towering buildings that the rebels have used to supplement their makeshift walls.
Row upon row of trenches stand between the coalition and the city, and the government has warned progress on the siege will be perilous and slow.