chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Communication was cut off from one of the observation and inspection points overlooking the fork in the road leading to Kraden village and the highway between the camp and the capital to the north. This point, located at the beginning of the Kiftar hills, was attacked by the same armed group that set up the previous ambush. The Kinjali group, affiliated with the rebel movement, is considered the main party responsible for these and earlier attacks. There are also suspicions regarding the leaders of both Kraden and Grarg villages, as these are the only two villages situated in that terrain. However, they haven't been directly accused due to the non-aggression agreement between Jashmet, the leader of Grarg, and Sobaker.

Jashmet agreed to sign the agreement after being an active participant in resisting the Union and government forces in his area. This was a few years ago, before the large-scale military campaign was launched. Jashmet's agreement came after realizing that the next time he faced them, he wouldn't be up against tanks or armored personnel carriers but fully loaded grenade launchers. He was smart enough to know that this would wipe him and his village off the map. If it were proven that he was involved in these attacks, especially the most recent one, it would mean his and his people's destruction.

As for Kraden village, it can be considered peaceful due to the presence of many informants loyal to Sobaker and other local government and Sukanian leaders. Not to mention that the village leader oversees supplying the Second Vengeance Battalion with essential provisions in exchange for money, and sometimes ammunition or weapons.

"It is my duty to ensure that the friendly forces stationed here receive the supplies they need in exchange for money. Protection is a key part of Kraden's prosperity and security."

These were the words of Kraden's village leader. But even this leader did not cooperate out of love for the Sukanians—they are loathed. Fear of retaliatory actions from the rebels was probably the main motivation for cooperating with us. Yet, if his involvement in those attacks, particularly the recent one, is proven, he will not escape punishment either. The observation point is the security barrier leading to Kraden. Losing that point implicitly means losing those two villages, in addition to the strategic road leading to us and the capital.

In any case, the fall of that observation point was reported to the joint operations room against the rebels. Some of the Roshkani there suggested sending planes to bomb the location, but some commanders rejected this idea because they wanted solid proof of either village leader's involvement. In other words, they wanted prisoners to extract information from.

Thus, the order came to us through Sobaker, but Nikolai provided us with more details. It seems this might be a good pretext to take control of Grarg village. In two days, we will move with a group of Union vehicles to recapture the observation point. The main objective is to regain the point and capture as many prisoners as possible for interrogation. We know this will be harder than retaking the station itself, as these thugs are desperate and believe they'll enter paradise if they die defending their positions. We understand that the battle will be somewhat difficult...