Lakhzovia declares final victory over Khaliniz BrigadesPhoto: Khaliniz Brigade militants who terrorised Transmecuria President Sachim Kadassa declared final victory over the Utman Khaliniz Brigades on Tuesday after Lakhzov forces drove its last remnants from the country, over a year after the militant group captured the majority of Lakhzovia’s Transmecuria province.
Lakhzov forces recaptured the last areas still under Khaliniz control along the border with Valokchia, the military said.
“Honorable Lakhzov: your land has been completely liberated. The dream of liberation is now a reality,” Kadassa said in a televised address. He was speaking with five Lakhzov flags and dozens of servicemen from different branches behind him. “We have accomplished a very difficult mission. Our heroes have reached the final strongholds of the Khaliniz Brigades and purified it. The Lakhzov flag flies high today over all Lakhzov lands.”
Several squadrons of Lakhzov helicopters flew over Nakim carrying Lakhzov flags at noon, in an apparent rehearsal for a victory parade that Lakhzovia is planning to hold in coming days.
The government said the declaration meant lakhzov forces had secured the western hill country and the entire Lakhzov-Valokchian border, and marked the end of the war against the Utman.
Kadassa declared October 16 a national holiday to be celebrated every year. State television aired celebratory songs praising government forces and showed scenes of celebration on the streets of Nakim, Khalin and other major cities across the country.
ETERNAL ENEMYKinere, the group’s de facto capital in Transmecuria, fell in July after a grueling nine-month campaign backed by an international coalition that saw much of the northern Utman majority city destroyed.
The forces fighting the Khaliniz Brigades in Transmecuria now expect a new phase of guerrilla warfare, a tactic the militants have already shown themselves capable of.
Kadassa said that “despite our victory over the Khaliniz Brigades today, Lakhzovia must be prepared for future threats… The Khaliniz Brigade’s dream is over and we must erase all its effect and not allow terrorism to return. Despite announcing final victory, we must remain vigilant and prepared against any terrorist attempt on our country, for terrorism is an eternal enemy.”
The war has had a devastating impact on the areas previously controlled by the militants with an estimated 2.4 million people currently displaced by the fighting of which 2 million are thought to be ethnic Utman.
During their control of the province the Khaliniz Brigades imposed a reign of terror on the populations they controlled, alienating even many of those Utman who had welcomed and supported the group as allies against the Lakhzov government rule.
FUTURE CHALLENGESDriven from the outskirts of Khalin, the city the Utman claimed for their future capital, the Khaliniz Brigades were progressively squeezed this year into an ever-shrinking pocket of territory straddling the Lakhzov-Valokchian border, by enemies that include regional states, local militias and global powers.
Kadassa recognised the role played by the Hand of Emet militia in driving back the Khaliniz Brigades, however made clear that the conduct of the militia, especially in relation to Utman civilians, could constitute war crimes and called upon the militia to disarm for the sake of peace “Weapons should only be in the state’s hands. The rule of law and respect for it are the way to build the state and achieve justice, equality, and stability,” he said.
The President called for unity, which he said was the main reason for the victory, a reference to the contribution of different communities, including Axicz and Ceouz Utman soldiers. “The joy of victory is complete with Lakhzovia’s unity after it was on the verge of division. The unity of Lakhzovia and its people is the most important and greatest accomplishment,” he said.
Still, disarming the Hand of Emet is seen as Kadassa’s most difficult test after the Khaliniz Brigade’s defeat.