Kapavian insurgency
| Kapavian insurgency | |||||||
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 An artistic depiction of the ruins of a Surenid city. |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Raspur Pact
|  Babkhan Restoration Movement
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| Units involved | |||||||
| Trans-Euran Command
| Artes̱h-e Jadid-e Madal
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| Strength | |||||||
| < 3,600
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Background
In 1715 AN, a group of activists from the Babkhan Restoration Movement established themselves in Mehrshahr, a city in the Suren Confederacy that was the site of the ruins of the ancient capital of Babkha as well as the present headquarters of the Committee of Euran Salvation. The objectives of the movement were originally quite limited, being focused upon promoting the cultural legacy of the Kingdom of Babkha. In spite of the House of Suren and the House of Osman being themselves highly supportive of the Babkhan legacy, indeed the Harmonious Society had become a central tenet of humanist ideology in the global order propagated by the Raspur Pact, both houses were regarded with deep suspicion and hostility by the movement on account of the extent to which they had compromised and cooperated with the former subject races, colonisers, and global corporations in order to exploit the "native sons of Eura". Aware of this groundswell of hostility, and fearing that "cultural preservation" could afford a cover to anti-regime sentiments, the Surenid government soon began to sent out instructions to the authorities in the provinces that the organisation was to be suppressed with the utmost rigour, lest it become entrenched in the major cities.
Initial confrontations
The Farmândâr of Kapavia, Yaqub Beg, received orders from the Bab-e Dīvān (Gate of the Council) on to expunge the "nest of traitors". In response, the Governor commanded the 4th (Yemin Zoka) Gendarmes Brigade to conduct a crackdown on the movement's activists, in the form of a series of dawn raids.
The gendarmes, who were trained and equipped for bandit-hunting and razzia rather than riot control and other law enforcement operations, attempted to use overwhelming force and firepower in order to suppress and detain the movement's activists prior to their expulsion from the city. However, the movement's activists proved to have been well-organised and tipped off by a network of locally recruited informants, usually street-urchins and beggars, as to the movements of Surenid forces in the city. Being on alert ahead of time, and hunkered down in apartment blocks that had been hurriedly converted into prepared strongpoints, the activists resisted the gendarmes' efforts initial efforts to detain them, with a spirited resistance that led to prolonged clashes between the two sides. The violence and chaos in Mehrshahr spread, as the movement's supporters took to the streets to protest the government's actions.
As the situation in Mehrshahr continued to deteriorate, the government called in the 3rd Gendarmes Brigade as reinforcements. The 3rd Gendarmes Brigade, like the 4th (Yemin Zoka) Gendarmes Brigade, was trained and equipped for bandit-hunting rather than policing operations, and their arrival added more fuel to the fire. Their arrival indeed only served to escalate the violence, as the gendarmes used increasingly aggressive tactics in an attempt to quell the movement's activists and their supporters.
The clashes between the gendarmes and the movement's activists and supporters resulted in numerous casualties and widespread destruction. Buildings were set on fire, cars were overturned and burned, and streets were littered with debris. The authorities imposed a curfew and other measures to try to restore order, but these efforts were largely ineffective.
The violence in Mehrshahr continued for several days, with both sides suffering casualties and damage. The movement's activists and supporters were eventually forced to retreat, as the gendarmes were able to overpower them through sheer force of numbers and superior training and equipment.
Course of the conflict
Initial guerrilla activities
After the crackdown on the Babkhan Restoration Movement in Mehrshahr, the movement was effectively suppressed in the city. However, the events in Mehrshahr sparked outrage and condemnation from other parts of the Suren Confederacy and beyond. The government's heavy-handed response to the movement was widely criticised, and the situation in Mehrshahr remained tense and volatile for many. More worryingly, the fact that the majority of the Kapavia Division of the Popular Levy had been drawn into Mehrshahr had led to termination of normal desert and backroad patrols, and a reduction of the garrisons in outlying frontier posts, leaving the way clear for the surviving activists to disappear into the wilderness.
In spite of enduring a heavy defeat in the streets of Mehrshahr, the survivors of the movement began to organise small clandestine armed groups in Kapavia, as well as in the neighbouring provinces of Norasht and Suren. These armed groups, consisting of members of the Babkhan Restoration Movement, along with those who had been subsequently radicalised by the fighting, were motivated by the belief that the only way to achieve their goals was through armed resistance to the Suren government.
The formation of these armed groups resulted in a proliferation of violence in Kapavia, Norasht, and Suren. Initially instances of arson, sabotage, and assassination, directed against the provincial administration and the officers of the Popular Levy. The government, in turn, responded with even more aggressive tactics, deploying additional security forces to try to suppress the armed groups. The situation became a full-blown insurgency, with the armed groups carrying out attacks on government targets and the government using force to try to subdue them.
The insurgency in Kapavia, Norasht, and Suren had a number of consequences. It led to further loss of life and destruction, as both sides engaged in frequent small-scale skirmishes. It also disrupted economic activity in the affected provinces, as businesses closed and trade routes were disrupted. The insurgency also strained relations between the Suren government and the other members of the Raspur Pact, as the violence and instability in Kapavia, Norasht, and Suren, particularly where it threatened the routes of the Pan-Euran Highway and Trans-Euran Railway, became a major concern for the other countries in the region.
Despite the efforts of the government to suppress the insurgency, the small groups of insurgents continued to move freely between Kapavia, Norasht, and Suren, exploiting the confederal structure of the state and the reluctant of the regional satraps, governors, and commanders to render effective aid to oneanother.
Allied interventions
As the situation in Kapavia, Norasht, and Suren worsened towards mid-1715, the Trans-Euran Continental Theatre Command of the Raspur Pact authorised the General Inspectorate of Eura and Corum to intervene to secure the Trans-Euran Railway, particularly the sections of track controlled by the Kapavia Southern Railway Corporation. The Trans-Euran Railway was of overriding importance as a major transportation route for goods and people in the region, and its disruption could have significant economic and strategic consequences.
The General Inspectorate, which is responsible for discipline, standards, and internal security among other tasks for allied forces in the Trans-Euran Continental Theatre Command, was able to contribute four regiments from its 2nd Directorate, headquartered in Surenshahr, into the provinces of Kapavia, Norasht, and Suren, immediately in an effort to secure the Trans-Euran Railway and restore order. The General Inspectorate's forces, which included the Commissariat Regiment, the Provosts Regiment, and the Command & Control Regiment, were tasked with protecting the Kapavia Southern Railway Corporation's infrastructure and personnel, as well as restoring order in the affected provinces.
The intervention of the General Inspectorate of Eura and Corum in Kapavia, Norasht, and Suren was met with resistance from the armed groups of the Babkhan Restoration Movement. The armed groups, which were already engaging in attacks against government targets, began to target the General Inspectorate's forces as well, resulting in further destruction and loss of life.
Despite the challenges posed by the insurgency, the General Inspectorate was able to secure the Trans-Euran Railway, with the support of Popular Levy forces seconded to the dedicated task of protecting the infrastructure and personnel associated with the railways. The General Inspectorate's forces, with their superior training and equipment, were able to prevent the armed groups of the Babkhan Restoration Movement from assembling large scale raiding parties and were able to commence counter-insurgency sweeps along the course of the primary railway lines in the three affected provinces.
Rise of the "New Model Army"
The intervention of the General Inspectorate in the conflict had a significant impact on the Babkhan Restoration Movement. The movement's armed groups were defeated by the General Inspectorate's forces, and many of its members were killed or captured. In response, the remaining members of the movement retired into the Green in order to commence the difficult task of organising their fighters into the Artes̱h-e Jadid-e Madal (New Model Army), a more coherent organisation that would be better able to continue their struggle against the Surenid government.
The Artes̱h-e Jadid-e Madal, which was led by the movement's first cadre of military commanders, contained a number of former officers of the Popular Levy who had defected to the movement after the events in Mehrshahr. The leaders of this New Model Army adopted guerrilla tactics, using hit-and-run attacks and sabotage to try to weaken the Surenid government's control over the provinces of Kapavia and Suren.
The rurmoured existence of the Artes̱h-e Jadid-e Madal and its activities in Kapavia and Suren led to a further escalation as the Trans-Euran Command responded with even more aggressive tactics, including mass arrests in the cities, and air-raids against villages suspected of housing rebel sympathisers, in order to try to suppress the New Model Army and its supporters.
As the conflict continued, a new leader emerged within the ranks of the Artes̱h-e Jadid-e Madal. This leader, named Amir Arslan, was a charismatic and skilled military commander, a veteran of the Third Euran War, who rose to prominence after successfully organizing a series of train derailments on the line between Mehrshahr and Surenshahr in 1715 AN.
Amir Arslan's tactics, focused on using small eight-man raiding parties to evade the wide-ranging patrols organised by the General Inspectorate, were highly effective, and his attacks on the regime's infrastructure and transportation networks caused significant disruption and damage. As his reputation grew, more and more members of the Babkhan Restoration Movement began to rally around him, and he quickly became the leader of the New Model Army.
Under Amir Arslan's leadership, the New Model Army developed over the course of the latter part of 1715 AN into a formidable force, and the conflict in Kapavia and Suren continued to escalate. As a consequence Amir Arslan's reputation as a military commander grew. Despite beginning his revolt with only forty men, as many camels, and a land cruiser stolen from the General Inspectorate, he had quickly proven himself to be a skilled and effective leader.
In recognition of his contributions to the cause of movement, Amir Arslan was awarded the rank of Sarlashkar by the Central Committee of the Babkhan Restoration Movement. This rank, which was the highest military rank in the movement, gave Amir Arslan the authority to further organise the New Model Army as he saw fit.
Under Amir Arslan's leadership, the New Model Army continued to carry out attacks against the Suren government and its forces throughout the remainder of 1715 AN.
Surenid response
In response to the developing insurgency, the Majles-e Suren, the legislative body of the Suren Confederacy, passed three pieces of legislation in late 1715 AN. The first, known as the Treachery Act, provided for the death penalty and the dispossession of the families of the leaders of the rebellion. The second, the Act of Oblivion, called for the erasure of the names of these leaders from official records and made it an offense to refer to their existence. The third piece, the Rebellion Act, revived a number of wartime powers last used during the Third Euran War, including the ability to mobilise resources, intern individuals, engage in collective reprisals and retaliation, impress subjects into service, and recruit "overseas volunteers". These measures were taken in an effort to quell the insurgency and restore order before the rebels became too firmly established.
Attacks on Surenshahr
The rebel response began to manifest in the fourth month of 1716 AN, with the staging of a series of car bombings in the capital city of Surenshahr. This action suggested that the rebels were more than willing to escalate their tactics in an attempt to resist the efforts of the Surenid regime to suppress their insurgency. It was unclear what the specific goals or objectives of the rebels were in staging these bombings, save that the campaign would divert the attention of security forces away from Kapvia and back towards the defence of the heart of government.
As the car bombings continued throughout the month, the capital city of Surenshahr was thrown into chaos. The blasts, which targeted government buildings, military bases, and other strategic locations, caused widespread damage and loss of life. The Surenid regime responded with heavy-handed measures, including widespread arrests and curfews, in an attempt to restore order to the city.
The rebels, however, were undeterred by these efforts, and continued to stage bombings on a regular basis. The attacks became more sophisticated and coordinated over time, and the rebels began to target key infrastructure, such as power stations and communication networks, in an attempt to disrupt the functioning of the government.
As the violence escalated, the situation in Surenshahr became increasingly tense and volatile. The government struggled to maintain control over the city, and the security forces were stretched thin as they tried to combat the insurgency. The death toll continued to rise, and the city was wracked by fear and uncertainty as the conflict dragged on.
As the month drew to a close, it became clear that the car bombing campaign had severely undermined the authority of the Surenid regime and had plunged the city into a state of crisis. The future of the Suren Confederacy was uncertain, and it seemed that the conflict between the rebels and the government was far from over.
Raspur Pact deployments
In response to attacks on Surenshahr and retaliation to being framed for the assassination of Daau Premier. President Borisov of Floria ordered a deployment of 60,000 troops to assist the Surenid in counterinsurgency raids and setting up regular vehicle checkpoints and outposts nationwide.
The Confederate States Armed Forces deployed at a short notice however plans for a full deployment against a major insurgent force were prepared multiple months before. Troops were deployed to Togafaga where they were then split into units. Priority tasks at the start of the deployment were reduction of the use of Counter Explosive Ordnance and chemical agents (mostly mustard gas) by the Babkhan Restoration Movement. Whilst the successful efforts of stopping CEO threats were going on, special operations forces were tasked in discovering terrorist cells and eliminating them.
Operation Evergreen
Soon after the rapid deployment of Florian support in Suren, Operation Evergreen was launched by the Department of Defense of Nouvelle Alexandrie, with support from the Euran Economic Union, aimed at providing support to the Surenid government in their efforts to counter the insurgency. Over the course of five months, the Department of Defense and the Department of State sent 400 military and diplomatic advisers, with some of them designated as trainers and advisers for elite units of the Surenid military. Operation Evergreen retains a "light footprint", according to the Department of Defense, and is limited in scope to providing intelligence, assisting in planning and executing special operations, training and capacity building, public diplomacy, and civil-military cooperation support to the Surenid military. The Department of Defense was also able to secure favorable purchase terms and extend credit to the Surenid military to purchase equipment, parts, and ammunition.
Soon after its participation in Exercise Jungle Knife on 1717 AN, Operation Evergreen came to a close, with Nouvelle Alexandrie shifting any continued military training and diplomatic support work to the Suren Confederacy through its embassy in Surenshahr.
Kill or capture
After days of gathering intel on cells of the insurgency, CIB analysts got a hit on Amir Arslan’s hideout in the Surenid outback and with the authorisation of the SWG, a task force of elite MARSOF and Special Warfare Service operators was sent to capture or kill Arslan.
Split into two fireteams “Alpha” and “Bravo”. Bravo was tasked with clearing the first two buildings of the hideout and Alpha tasked with the third and final building. After reaching the target area the tactical plan fell to pieces as the Alphas who stayed on the helicopter were shot down by a secondary RPG strike after an initial deployment of anti missile flares. As the Alphas helicopter was downed communication was temporarily cut off however it became obvious that the Alpha fireteam became under effective fire with multiple left in critical condition.
Despite Alpha fireteam being under effective fire, Bravo fireteam proceeded to engage building 1. With building one cleared, Bravo fireteam were engaged by BRM insurgents from building 2. Building 2 is cleared however resistance from the BRM was significant as cover was blown.
With rockets from the BRM took down, Bravo fireteam proceeded to assist the Alpha fireteam survivors. Gathered around inside the crash site. The BRM assaulted the task forces position with waves of attackers however they were unsuccessful in taking down the taskforce as close air support from a F-137 Kingslayer annihilated the hordes of BRM soldiers.
The. Task force collectively moved onto building 3 but came under effective sniper fire and IDF (Indirect fire) from the remaining BRM insurgents. Some insurgents were successful in taking down a member of the task force but were eventually taken down. Building 3 was eventually cleared and it was discovered that Arslan was in the building leaving his uniform behind and used the opportunity to escape after Bravo team failed to assist Alpha team.
Despite the escape, the Task force were able to discover plans of the remaining BRM resistance fleeing to Oportia.
Defeat of the rebel movement
The pursuit of Arslan and the remaining members of the Babkhan Restoration Movement did not end with the failed raid on his hideout. The military forces of the coalition were determined to bring an end to the insurgency, and the Fall Aquamarinblau operational plan was activated. This allowed for reinforcements from the Imperial Constancian Armed Forces to massively reinforce the Joint Border Forces and to include a manhunt for the elusive rebel leader.
The Joint Border Forces deployed additional troops to Oportia, the suspected location of the BRM's retreat, and established a series of forward operating bases around Surenshahr to support the hunt. Special operations forces, intelligence analysts, and unmanned aerial vehicles were all brought to bear in the search for Arslan and his followers. Over the course of several weeks, the Joint Border Forces conducted raids, ambushes, and reconnaissance missions in the desert border regions between the Oportian and Surenid outposts, working to gather information on the location of the BRM's hideouts and safehouses. In short order the efforts of the BRM to transfer their operations in Oportian territory had been rebuffed and the remaining Babkhan fighters instead withdrew into the mountainous regions of the Ḡur Ostan
As the coalition forces closed in on their quarry during the early months of 1717 AN, the BRM became increasingly desperate. The rebels launched a series of improvised explosive device attacks in the cities and towns of the Ḡur Ostan, targeting military convoys and civilian infrastructure. The Pact forces responded with overwhelming firepower, employing air strikes, artillery, and armoured vehicles to root out the rebel fighters. The rebels were now effectively trapped in the valley of Ḡur, with Surenid Popular Levy forces advancing from the north towards contingents of the Garrisoned Police Force of Zeed advancing from the south.
The final showdown between the BRM and the allied forces took place in the mountains of above Ganzak-Gor, where the rebels had taken refuge in a series of cave systems. The coalition forces deployed specialist Constancian mountain infantry units to the area as shock troops, supported by air cover from rotorcraft gunships and strike jets. The rebels put up a fierce resistance, but the superior training, equipment, and tactics of the assault teams ultimately proved too much for them.
After several days of intense fighting, the Trans-Euran Command declared victory over the BRM on 19.VI.1717 AN. The bodies of Arslan and several of his top lieutenants were found among the wreckage of the caves, and the rest of the rebel fighters were either captured or killed. The insurgency had been quelled, and peace was restored to Suren and its neighbouring states.
Aftermath
In the aftermath of the failed operation to capture Amir Arslan, some factions amongst the rebels had abandoned the planned retreat to Oportia and instead sought refuge in the less-governed regions of the Suren Confederacy, such as Parestan and Vipia. Despite the initial shock of their defeat, the rebels began to regroup, albeit slowly, and work to rebuild their movement. But without the guidance of their leader and with the loss of many of their members, it would be a significant amount of time before they were able to regain their former strength and coherence. The governments of Suren and their allies took note of this and continued to monitor the situation closely, taking steps to prevent any resurgence of the rebellion. Despite this, the memory of the conflict lived on, and the rebel movement remained a source of inspiration and hope for some in the country.
The allied nations which had contributed contingents of their forces to the defeat of the Kapavian insurgency were subsequently invited by Trans-Euran Command to participate in Exercise Jungle Knife for the remainder of 1717 AN and prior to their departure from the Surenid Confederacy.
