The battle to encircle and annihilate the retreating forces at Alaman lasted less than three days.
As there was no hope of breaking through, and they were under intense artillery fire, on the night of January 5, General Bulan who was commanding these forces ordered a cessation of hostilities.
It wasn't until the next morning that Bulan's troops formally surrendered.
Of the approximately 200,000 Bulan officers and soldiers, fewer than 6,000 had died, and about 30,000 were wounded; the rest gave up resistance while they were still capable of fighting.
Only less than 10,000 Bulan officers and soldiers scattered during the night to attempt a breakout, a portion of whom managed to make it to Alexandria.
Bulan officers and soldiers who got lost and ventured deep into the desert almost all died in the sands, with only a very few lucky individuals reaching colonial strongholds along the upper reaches of the Nile River.
No one was surprised by this outcome.
