The air in the subterranean bunker was thick with the scent of stale coffee, ozone, and unspoken fear. General Kaleb, his face a roadmap of past campaigns, stood before a holographic display shimmering with topographical maps and satellite overlays of Addis Ababa. His officers, grizzled veterans and sharp-eyed analysts, sat in a semicircle, their faces illuminated by the green glow of the projections.
“Gentlemen, we stand at the precipice of a new dawn for Ethiopia,” Kaleb began, his voice a low rumble that nonetheless commanded absolute attention. “Or, a plunge into further chaos. The choice, and the execution, is ours.”
He gestured to the main display, which zoomed in on the Ethiopian capital. “Operation Dawn Serpent is a full-spectrum, multi-axis assault designed to neutralize the current regime, secure critical infrastructure, and establish a provisional administration within 48 hours. Our objective is clear: Invade and control Addis Ababa.”
A murmur went through the room, quickly suppressed. Kaleb’s eyes, usually tired, now gleamed with a cold, determined light.
“Force Deployment:
- Northern Axis (A-1): Two mechanized infantry brigades, totaling approximately 8,000 personnel, equipped with 120 Type-X Main Battle Tanks and 250 Badger-class Infantry Fighting Vehicles. Their primary objective is to breach northern defensive lines, secure Bole International Airport (Task Force Skyhammer), and establish a forward operating base.
- Southern Axis (A-2): One mechanized infantry brigade and one light infantry division, approximately 7,500 personnel, using 80 Type-Y MBTs and 180 Scorpion-class APCs. Their mission is to secure the southern approaches, bypass residential zones where feasible, and link up with A-1 at the airport.
- Special Operations Forces (Shadow Company): Twelve platoons, 300 highly trained operators, inserted covertly 24 hours prior to D-Day. Their targets include key communication hubs, command and control centers, the Presidential Palace, and the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) headquarters. They will neutralize resistance from within and provide real-time intelligence for the main assault.
- Air Support Group (Vulture Squadron): Ten advanced armed drones (Reaper-D model), operating from our forward airbase, providing close air support, precision strikes on identified enemy strongpoints, and aerial surveillance. Four attack helicopter gunships (Mi-24 variants) will be deployed offensively to suppress anti-air defenses and engage armored targets.
Logistics & Support: Two dedicated logistics battalions will follow the main thrust, establishing supply lines for fuel, ammunition, and medical aid. A civil affairs unit will be embedded to immediately begin humanitarian operations and manage displaced populations.
Weapons to be Used:
- Ground Forces: Standard issue assault rifles (AK-103 and AR-15 variants), squad automatic weapons, heavy machine guns (DShK and M2 Browning), 60mm and 81mm mortars, Javelin-analog anti-tank guided missiles, and MANPADS (Man-Portable Air-Defense Systems) to counter any regime air assets.
- Armored Vehicles: Main Battle Tanks will utilize 125mm high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) and armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) rounds. IFVs will deploy 30mm auto-cannons and ATGM systems. APCs will provide suppressing fire from mounted heavy machine guns.
- Artillery: Limited, precision-guided 155mm artillery fire from our northern and southern forward positions will target fortified military installations and known heavy weapons emplacements, minimizing collateral damage.
- Special Operations: Suppressed small arms (MP5, SCAR-L), precision sniper rifles (AWP, M200), breaching charges, C4 explosives, and tactical drones for reconnaissance and targeting.
- Air Assets: Drones will carry Hellfire-analog missiles and GBU-38 JDAM-analog precision-guided bombs. Attack helicopters will deploy unguided rockets, 30mm cannon fire, and air-to-ground missiles.
Date and Time of Event:
D-Day will be November 14th.
H-Hour is 0300 Local Time.
“Shadow Company will commence deep insertions at 0300, November 13th. Kinetic operations will initiate precisely 24 hours later. We will exploit the cover of darkness and the element of surprise. Our intelligence indicates regime forces are largely static, expecting a conventional frontal assault on the border, not a deep penetration and urban strike.”
Kaleb paused, letting the weight of his words settle. “Casualty minimization, both civilian and our own, is paramount. We are liberators, not occupiers. However, any force resisting our objective will be met with overwhelming, decisive action. We will use every tool at our disposal to ensure victory, to ensure a swift and conclusive end to this conflict.”
He looked at each officer, his gaze lingering. “When the sun rises on November 14th, the fate of Addis Ababa, and indeed, Ethiopia, will be in our hands. Be ready.”
The first pale streaks of dawn painted the eastern sky on November 14th, barely illuminating the chaos that had swept through Addis Ababa. General Kaleb, now in a reinforced command center established within what was formerly the NISS headquarters, watched the live feeds. Bole Airport was secured, the green flag of the United Front for Ethiopian Renewal (UFER) flying alongside a provisional Ethiopian flag. The Northern and Southern Axes had met near Meskel Square, their armor now providing a steel ring around the city center.
Sporadic gunfire still echoed from the residential districts where pockets of regime loyalists and ill-disciplined militias were being systematically rooted out by UFER light infantry. The advanced drones, now visible as specs in the brightening sky, continued their surveillance, occasionally unleashing a targeted strike on a confirmed sniper position or a hidden mortar team.
Kaleb looked out a shattered window, the city unfolding before him. Smoke plumed from two distinct locations – the Presidential Palace, now largely a ruin, and the main state television building, where a fierce firefight had raged for hours before Shadow Company secured it, ensuring the UFER’s first broadcast address to the nation.
He felt no elation, only a profound weariness. The strategy had worked, with brutal efficiency. Addis Ababa, the beating heart of Ethiopia, was under their control. But the cost, though perhaps less than feared, was still etched into the cityscape and the faces of his own men. The invasion was over. The control had begun. And with it, the far more daunting task of rebuilding. He turned from the window, the hum of servers and the muted reports of ongoing operations a constant reminder of the new, heavy mantle of responsibility.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
No comments:
Post a Comment