Operation Amok-Among
| Operation Amok-Among | |||||
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 Imperial Trade Union
| Legion of Leng. |
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Operation Amokamong was a military operation in which the New Zimian War League oversaw the forced assimilation of all non-Bassaridians inhabiting territories claimed by the Iron Cult of Leng, into Bassaridian society. The operation was launched in the aftermath of several high profile violent crimes committed against Iron Cult citizens by the country's non-Bassaridians remained in the region following the formal establishment of the Iron Cult- which drew media attention and prompted outrage across Bassaridia.
Crime Wave and Subsequent Reactions
Violence in the Iron Mines
On 173/3/40 PSSC, an anti-Bassaridian protest at the Omega Iron Mine in the northern outskirts of Normaria turned violent after several mine guards accidentally discharged their weapons while attempting to keep protestors away from the mine's entrance. Protestors regarded angrily and violently, overwhelming the guards with force, and entering the mine. Initially upon entering the mine, the angry protestors focused their efforts on destroying equipment and damaging electrical infrastructure. When confronted by additional guards inside the mine, and by management, the protestors became violent, attacking the guards, and forcing management to retreat into the mine. Soon after, several workers were critically wounded by falling rocks, as protestors tore wiring and piping from the mines walls, de-stabilizing the structure of the mine. Two workers were killed as a result of the injuries sustained by falling rocks - one at the scene, the other while on route to hospital. Ultimately, the protestors were forced out of the mine and were subsequently arrested without further incident. The attack on the mine, however, prompted extreme outrage across the Iron Cult, as many began to call for justice and if need be, retribution for those injured in the attack.
Spoiled Wine Attacks
Following the attack on the Omega Iron Mine, an unusual trend emerged over the course of several weeks as organized anti-Bassarid activists began targeting low-level Iron Cult government officials in so-called "spoiled wine attacks." In these attacks, activists would throw repulsively spoiled wine in the faces of their targets, and then photograph them so as to post pictures on social media. Though relatively harmless, these attacks - which numbered around a dozen in total - served to rally anti-Bassarid activists as well as loyalists, who became increasingly violent in their interactions with one another. Several suspected attackers were lynched, and their bodies put on stakes outside of the Black Cathedral - Grim Offerings to the Haunter of the Dark who inhabits the Cathedral. As these attacks continued, and as violence expanded in scale and degree, Iron Cult leadership began calling on the New Zimian War League to intervene on their behalf.
Arson and the Black Cathedral
On the morning of 106/2/41 PSSC, the people of Normaria were astonished to find the western wing of the Black Cathedral partially destroyed by a fire which had apparently burned throughout most of the night. The circumstances surrounding this fire are highly unusual. For one thing, no one in the entire city of Normaria could recall witnessing the fire. Later investigations revealed that emergency services received no reports of the fire, and no emergency responders were deployed. Despite this, a lone, abandoned fire truck was found outside the still boarded entrance to the smoldering west wing of the cathedral. No trace of the unknown occupants of this abandoned firetruck was ever found. The firetruck itself did not seem to belong to any Lengian fire departments. An interview across over 60% of Normaria's population would later lead investigators to conclude that not one person in the entire city actually witnessed the fire which destroyed the west wing of the Cathedral. And yet, the damage was undeniable; the Black Cathedral was damaged, and the Bassaridians of Normaria were outraged. On one hand, the fire represented a desecration of the Iron Cult's most holy site - the very site around which Cult Society could be said to revolve. On the other, the damage to the Black Cathedral represented an existential threat to the Iron Cult, and potentially to all of existence. Any damage to the Black Cathedral, to this end, could potentially result in the escape fearsome cosmic entity trapped inside. Outraged on both of these accounts, Iron Cultists took to the streets in an unapologetic campaign to purge society of anti-Bassaridian elements. This outbreak in violence would force the New Zimian War League to intervene, such that it would launch Operation Amok-Among, an operation aimed - according to the Bassarid government - at promoting cultural inclusiveness and peaceful co-existence.
Jingdaoese assistance
On 80/2/42 PSSC, the Jingdaoese Empire opened a military training base near Normaria. In this location it would train special operation forces from Jingdao, but also from other USSO forces. As part of the training, the trainees, all experienced elite soldiers, were added to Bassaridian efforts to gain a tighter grip on the region.
Operation Details
Mass Arrests
The first phase of operational activities saw the mass arrest of nearly 7,500 known dissidents across Iron Cult territory, as Normarian law enforcement and the New Zimian War League combined intelligence and worked together to develop and deploy plans aimed at locating, isolating, and destroying splinter cells and anti-government, andti-Bassarid rebel communities. This phase of operations included the first major deployment of Bassarid Quadwalkers, especially in efforts aimed at dismantling the dissident and rebel-led "sea-camps," which extend for miles beyond the region's western and southern maritime borders.
