The Last Front: Baghuz ~ My narration of the events leading up to the fall.

Chapter Eight: The First Ceasefire

Chapter Eight: The First Ceasefire

Eventually, they would announce a "hudnah," a ceasefire. It was announced through loudspeakers. Our little State had become so small that the word would almost reach everyone if something were announced in the marketplace. The purpose of the ceasefire was to give the families who wanted to leave a grace period where no fighting occurred. Every other day the loudspeakers would announce, "The ceasefire is tomorrow from 8 o'clock in the morning to 8 o'clock in the evening. "

Ceasefire days were quiet and peaceful, but in the evenings, after 8 pm, they would start their attacks again. The helicopters would fly over us and launch airstrikes, and they would shoot their guns and rockets all night, aiming at the houses filled with hundreds of women and children. Many people died then, and we knew staying inside the houses was no longer safe.

- I want to emphasize that civilians were being killed in significant numbers. When Donald Trump ﷲ ﻪﺤﺒﻗ said that he was going to "bomb the hell out of us," he was truthful in his words. The bombs were thrown indiscriminately on overcrowded houses; this is a testimony I will bear in front of Allah on the Day of Judgment. They were not only bombing military points; they were bombing the crowds!

Whispers and Confusion

Whispers were going around that the leaders of the Wilayah of Barakah had sought, or were called for, negotiations. They had agreed upon what was called the "First Hudnah": The agreement was the State would stop the fighting, and both sides would get a certain amount of time to prepare to go on a journey. They would hand over a town to the State, given we follow their orders.

In exchange for following their commands, we would also be able to put conditions as well: for them to stop killing us and to send humanitarian aid. The problem was in their conditions. They wanted the State to give up all its weaponry and change the banner. However, these conditions were opposed, and further negotiations were taking place. This gave us more time and extended the ceasefire.

I do not know how much of this was true. In war, the reality isn't always shared among the people. But there was indeed some truth to it. Humanitarian aid did come in, and the fighting was on pause.

The leaders of the kataaib told all the fighting- katibahs to get vehicles ready for a journey. This was hard to believe at the time, but something similar had occurred when we lost Raqqah. A peace treaty was agreed upon, and we witnessed the trucks escorting families out of Raqqah and into Albu-Kamal. Confusion loomed in the air, and no one knew what was happening. The reality of the situation was unclear.

Women and children were advised to leave and only take what they could bear. The reactions of the families were varied. Some called it a betrayal of the State and that they were abandoning their women and children, while others were relieved that they had the opportunity to leave.

For me, I realized the State no longer had any control. Since we were weak, there weren't many options left. The leaders were trying their best to negotiate, given our circumstances.

The Ceasefire

The first official hudnah was announced at Maghrib towards the end of February. We were surrounded by a 1 x 3 km area or even smaller than that. I was happy that it was finally quiet and that I was with good companions that would strengthen me -many of them, it would be the last time I would see them. The hudnah gave us time to dig more trenches, and the brothers were digging for the sisters who did not have a trench. At the same time, many people left during the first ceasefire. So their trenches and belongings were now being used by others.