Summary
After clearing out the marksmen overlooking the area between Naudeh and Mian on a previous operation, the operators continued to hunt the militia commander, suspected to be holed up in Arnay, or having retreated to the big mosque in Khas.
Approaching from the North and Southeast, our two groups alternately drew attention from patrols and marksmen watching over the walled religious site from the top of a tall minaret.
Unable to find evidence of the secret entrance mentioned by the Clockmaker and referenced by the Tusken raiders in recovered intel, the groups assaulted via the Northern and Southern gates.
After a casualty was sustained at the North gate, this assault got bogged down, while the Southern group moved through the site attempting to identify and neutralise the HVT.
The occupants of the religious site were very capable defenders, using their knowledge of the structure to outflank and capture several operators. Both temporarily, and more permanently.
Three Bastion operators were captured and held hostage inside the mosque by a medically trained, highly educated individual, who was able to incapacitate, restrain and resuscitate each of them while repelling the counterattacks of the other operators on the ground.
After having lined them up inside the mosque, Stronghold were sent evidence of their capture, and the demand of $100,000 for their release was made.
Fortress operators made a plan to rush all of the doors at the same time, in the hopes they could save the hostages if they could neutralise the lone hostage-taker quickly enough.
This plan was obviously overheard by the hostage-taker, who severely wounded two operators as they prepared to make their assault.
However, this task distracted him from his goal of setting a failsafe bomb next to the hostages, allowing an operator to covertly enter and neutralise him before he could finish setting the timer on his explosives.
After securing the area and regrouping, intel about the Commander was sparse, so operators took photos of the hostage-taker in the hopes it may have been the target.
Returning to base, the MRZR with mounted .50 cal and a humvee were discovered to be rigged with explosives. Unfortunately, this was only determined once they had already exploded, killing the operator who was in the process of retrieving them.
Our condolences to his family, and cats.
Stronghold Note: Repeat trainings on IED detection, and Vehicle stewardship required.
Omar was able to identify the photos of the hostage-taker as a Cambridge-educated doctor, and Rami expanded that the commander doesn’t carry weapons, but usually wears Soviet fatigues and a beret.
