章 357: Total Control of Balochistan

February 5th, 1656

The Mughal Empire, Region of Balochistan, Zohab

Over the last 15 days, a lot has happened, among which one of the major achievements was the victory in the city of Zohab. Surprisingly, this small city on the foothills of the Suleiman Range proved to be much more challenging than imagined. Unlike the rest of the places the Empire has conquered, Zohab is almost entirely controlled by the Zarakzai tribe, a notable Pashtun tribe originating from the larger Durrani tribal confederation.

Due to their connections with other Pashtun groups across the border, when attacked by the empire, reinforcements for the Zarakzai people immediately showed up. This made capturing the city much harder and more troublesome, because, Zohab also happens to be the gatekeeper of Gomal Pass, one of the major economic lifelines of the region of Balochistan.