Solentia

[SolentiaAhmadi]

Mutahad Kargar Gond Collapse Across Southern Solentia

November 5592

Three months after Jaish-e Ahmadi initiated their latest spring offensive the map of control across Caistra and Nalia Wilayat has been transformed. Mutahad Kargar Gond (MKG) control has collapsed in these Wilayat, with three major cities falling to Jaish-e Ahmadi. These represents the largest change in territorial control since the start of the conflict, and see MKG areas of control broken into four separate areas. The capital Oda remains under MKG control, but its lines of communication to the southern port cities have all been closed, with the only route out of the city west to Bianca and the Kalopian border.



Jaish-e Ahmadi fighters moved rapidly through Caistra Wilayat.

The Jaish-e Ahmadi spring offensive commenced with a major push towards the Nalian city of Igy. A month of fighting led to Jaish-e Ahmadi taking control of the central valleys of Nalia Wilayat and restricting MKG to the south and south-east of the Wilayat. This was followed up by a push towards the Caistran city of Mostates. What followed was completely unexpected as the MKG front line simply collapsed allowing Jaish-e Ahmadi to advance rapidly seizing most of the Wilayat within weeks, leaving only the southern ports of Canneante and Caodo in MKG hands.



Assessed areas of control, November 5592, (link here)

What Happened in Caistra?

Caistra had fiercely resisted Jaish-e Ahamdi since the start of the conflict and had good reason to do so. Caistra is a much more moderate region than the rest of the country and its Ahmadism is tempered by Sufi'ism, in which various saintly figures are afforded great respect, many of whom taught a much more tolerant faith and a greater respect for the rights of women. Caistra is the one part of Solentia where most women go around without headscarves or veils, a complete contrast to the dominance of the burka in rural Saspain Wilayat and almost mandatory headscarves in other areas.

So what changed? Hezb-e Ahmadi, the political wing of Jaish-e Ahmadi launched a charm offensive amongst tribal leaders and political figures in Caistra, most prominently with a promise to devolve education policy to local areas. Secondly, despite being more moderate, Caistra is intensely xenophobic, with a strong dislike of neighbouring Kalopians. Ironically this is partially caused by the greater respect for women in the region, which in turn leads to an intense protection of their women from outsiders. With Kalopa declaring its intent to intervene militarily in Solentia many local leaders in Caistra felt a desire to unite with other Solentians against the invader. The timing of the announcement by the Kalopian President could not have come at a worse time for the MKG as many of their fighters and allies simply switched sides and joined Jaish-e Ahmadi, giving MKG only enough time to organise their defences in the southern cities which had previously been unaffected by the fighting.



In Caistra most Ahmadi women do not wear headscarves or the burka, a contrast to the rest of the country.

Refugee Situation Exacerbated

The stunning Jaish-e Ahamdi victories has seen refugee numbers increase dramatically. Several million Solentians are now internally displaced within the country, with hundreds of thousands attempting to enter Kalopa via border crossings at Bianca and the south-western port city of Canneante. Many are also reported to have headed for the Istalian border through the Wilayat of Nalia.



Numbers of refugees have increased