Zone Zero
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General Jonot unrolled the map of Algeria. He pinned it flat to the table. The staff officers gathered round to examine it. They concentrated on a neatly pencilled square which enclosed part of the Territory of the Oases. The general pointed to it with a well-manicured finger.
“Evacuation,” he announced. “Complete and absolute evacuation. Every man, woman and child must be removed from the area. There can be no exceptions.”
An elderly and faded colonel said: “It will be difficult. The area covers a hundred square miles.”
“I am aware of both those facts,” General Jonot said tartly.
The colonel flushed. But he was not deterred. He added: “The Arabs will resent it very much. We may move them from the zone, but can we be sure they will not drift back?”
“They will probably die if they do. That will be explained to them.”
There was an uneasy shuffle among the operational staff officers. Some went on looking at the map. Some looked at each other. None looked at the general.