Syrdonian
Terrorist Summary
Syrdonian Special
Operations/Paramilitary Involvement
Deteriorating conditions in Syrdonia of
late have led that government to place an increasingly heavy emphasis on
internal security. In response to the
"Cholo" militias that have formed in the eastern part of the country, the Syrdonian
government has increased training of Syrdonian Special Forces. Syrdonian
Special Forces are trained to operate in multiple environments, and rely on
high mobility and timely intelligence to ensure success of missions.
One highly focused unit, known only as the Ninjas, is trained to
conduct operations inside Kurekstan territory alongside "Enano" radical
groups. Since the acceleration of Syrdonian
attempts to unite with Kurekstan this unit has become increasingly active, both
within Kurekstan as well as within Syrdonia itself. The Ninjas are trained to enter a hostile
area covertly, often disguised as locals, and to then procure needed supplies
from the area that they are operating in. The Ninjas specialize in small unit light-infantry maneuver tactics and
demolitions. They are also highly trained
in hand to hand combat. Once they have
established themselves in an area, the Ninjas will then begin to train local
sympathizers and active terrorist groups in the art of guerilla warfare.
Terrorism
Syrdonia funds, supplies, and actively supports terrorist groups
inside Kurekstan. Historically, most
such attacks have been by executed by "Enano" elements against the
"Cholo". These attacks originated in Syrdonia
and spilled over into Kurekstan, increasing hostilities between the two
countries, and contributing to the current crisis. More recently, terrorist activities have
further increased due to a significant coalition ground presence in Kurekstan.
Over the past decade, the "Enano" in Kuerkstan have formed into
two factions with terrorist ties. The
"National" faction, led by Francisco Atanasio Dominguez, seeks to change the political
landscape of Kurekstan from within and establish a separate, independent,
theocratic state. The "Union" faction,
led by Silvestre Velez de Escalante, advocates a merger with other "Enano"
states.
A third group, the Enano Resistance Movement of Kurekstan (ERMK)
has of late decided to split from the two original groups and resort to more
aggressive tactics. Led by radical
"Enano" cleric Gieter Dunn, this group has recently stepped up attacks on Kurekstan political
and economic targets. Training Terrorists at these camps receive training on local war fighting tactics along
with the Maoist theory of guerilla warfare. This training emphasizes operating in small bands and skillfully
blending surprise, mobility, and firepower. Students are trained to be aggressive, and are taught the value of
constant offensive action. Assault
tactics favor the use of mortars, explosives, and grenades over small arms, a
method that was pioneered by German stormtroopers late in WWI. These tactics allow insurgents to bypass main
areas of resistance, and directly attack headquarters and other high value targets
located behind set defenses. Sniper and
ambush training are also emphasized at these training camps. Although
these tactics have not been observed extensively in Kurekstan to date, it is
thought that many terrorist elements have received training, and are now
established as Sleeper Cells inside Kurekstan, and are biding their time until
conditions are right for attack.In
accordance with Maoist philosophy, prospective terrorists are taught to blend
into the population and to acquire supplies and intelligence from the civilian
populace as well. Syrdonian forces are able to enter Kurekstan to recruit and
train willing "Enano" members to perform acts of terrorism against the Kurekstan
government. When Kurekstan or coalition
forces make an attempt to put a halt to this training, Syrdonian forces move
back across the border for safety. In
addition, Syrdonian forces have also established training camps on the Syrdonian
side of the border, whence terrorists can be infiltrated back into Kurekstan,
and which also can be used as staging points to supply terrorists in Kurekstan. Strength The number of active terrorist
operatives is currently assessed to be between 1,000 and 2,200 with a base of
between 10,000 and 25,000 non-operational sympathizers who provide shelter,
financial support and intelligence. At
its peak, the ERMK probably commanded several thousand hard-core members.
Security crackdowns following a string of bloody attacks in 1999 resulted in a
substantial decrease in the group's core membership but not its sympathizer
base. These three organizations have
been known to conduct joint operations and provide logistical and manning
support for specialized events. Armament Weapons used by the terrorists in Kurekstan include small arms
and crew-served weapons such as light machine guns, grenades, and light
mortars, RPG's and a limited number of SA-7 and SA-14 MANPADs. The group is
reportedly close to acquiring SA-16, SA-18, and STINGER BASIC MANPADs from
supporters in Iriand. These groups also have, in addition to large caches of
explosives, adequate proficiency in creating mail bombs and vehicle-borne
improvised explosive devices (VBIED's), and know how to employ these weapons to
their fullest extent. These weapons are
mainly used to target government workers and facilities. Also, members of the "Union"
faction have apparently collected GPS coordinates for government and coalition
targets and transmitted the coordinates via e-mail to unknown parties for as
yet undetermined purposes. Overall, according to the Maoist
theory of people's war, "Enano" terrorists in Kurekstan are past the first of
three stages of guerilla warfare, which is gaining the support of the people
through attacks on the government and distribution of propaganda. They are currently moving past the second
phase, which is the escalation of attacks on military and other high value
targets. They are now assessed to have
begun the third and final phase, in which they will use conventional fighting
to seize cities, overthrow the government, and take control of the
country. The group's implementation of
the third phase also coincides with an increase in rhetoric from Syrdonian leadership and
an increase in Syrdonian military
activity, indicating further ties between the two organizations. Although insurgent attacks have been accelerating in southern
Kurekstan, attacks in and around the capital city Trabul have been rare due to
the fact that the insurgents do not wish to damage sites in the area that they
consider holy. This was reflected during
a recent missile strike, which was not assessed to be targeted against any
specific location, but landing in an open field in the city of Location/Area of Operation The majority of ERMK camps are
currently assessed to be located in the southern mountain ranges of Syrdonia.
Recent intelligence reports however indicate the group is also operating
several small training camps somewhere within the mountains of eastern Syrdonia
near the Kurekstan border. However, training camps routinely move to disrupt
intelligence collection. This prospect is supported by a recent increase in
terrorist activity occurring northwest of Trabul along the border of Syrdonia and
Kurekstan.
Instruction
from Syrdonian Ninja forces in guerrilla warfare along with
tactical experience has proven the "Enano" radical groups to be extremely
capable fighters. Ninja tactics that
have been passed on to these radical groups include sabotage, artillery
training, hand-to-hand combat, small arms, IED construction and use, knife and
nunchuck skills, small unit tactics, and aggressive bowstaff techniques.