Deep into the night after the first day of the "Balance Beam" operation, inside the 1515 underground command center in Eastern Syria.
The top leader of the Iligo War Zone, Omar, had just finished another tense call with Ahmed, the frontline commander in Tetric.
Due to the frenzied bombings and attacks by the US Army's air power, the defense lines formed by the 1515 suffered heavier losses than expected. However, they barely held the first wave, shot down a Black Hawk, and damaged an Apache Attack Helicopter, which somewhat boosted morale.
But the heavy anti-tank weapons and more anti-aircraft missiles he requested were still in short supply.
"How's the Anbar passage?" he asked the coordinating leader.
"The first batch should already be on the way, taking the old route south of Mosul. Our people there bribed an officer at one of the checkpoints. He took a 'gift,' promising an eight-hour window. But afterwards..."
Omar rubbed his aching temples.
