1/2/20 Terror Attacks
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 The Laeralian naval vessel LNS Celeste burns after a suicide attack in the Strait of Vulkaria | |||||||
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The 1/2/20 Terror Attacks, also referred to as the Terror Attacks of January 2nd and the 2020 IDU Terror Attacks were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks that took place on January 2nd, 2020, in 7 countries across the International Democratic Union. Terrorists from the Malvarian Liberation Front attacked thirty-two targets in Vulkaria, Zamastan, Legionas, Eiria, Gardavasque, Libertas Omnium Maximus, and Xiomera. In Vulkar, Vulkaria, terrorists attacked the embassies of Libertas Omnium Maximus, Shen, and Shuell, as well as a school sponsored by Byzconia. In the Strait of Vulkaria, a Laeralian naval vessel called the LNS Celeste was also attacked. Over 1,490 people were killed in the attacks, and thousands more were injured.
Van'a Kamoni, the leader of the M.L.F., claimed responsibility for the attack. In response, Vulkarian President Farhen Brooks requested a boost to military aid and direct intervention by Zamastan and other foreign nations. President of Zamastan Foley Sakzi announced the creation of a coalition to "destroy terrorism and liberate Vulkaria", aimed at reclaiming the territory controlled by the M.L.F. and V.N.A. in Northwest Vulkaria since 2017. The coalition forces arrived in Vulkaria and began an offensive to defeat the insurgents on January 6th, 2020.
Background
Attacks
Vulkaria
Within Vulkaria, numerous sites belonging to the government and diplomatic international sites were struck by terrorist insurgents. Vulkar’s International Airport was hit with rocket propelled grenades, obliterating terminal windows and damaging airplanes on the tarmac. 34 people were killed at the airport. The Presidential Mansion in Vulkar was struck by two car bombs and a squad of gunmen. 62 people were killed in the attack. Vulkarian President Farhen Brooks was present at the Mansion but was safe. Suicide bombs were also detonated at three apartment blocks and a shopping center, killing an additional 340 people.
A school sponsored by Byzconia was struck with a suicide bombing, resulting in the deaths of two Byzconian teachers and three Vulkarian students. Seven students were also injured in the attack. The school was sponsored by Byzconia’s foreign teachers program, and the Byzconian staff had just transitioned to the school a few weeks prior to the start of the new year.
Several embassies in the capital city of Vulkar were hit by attackers. The Shuell Embassy was the site of a suicide bombing in the lobby of the complex which killed 9 people and injured 17. Security had spotted a suspicious individual entering the building and attempted to stop him. It was at that moment that he detonated his suicide vest.
The Embassy of the Shen Empire in Vulkar was hit with a car bomb, which detonated at the front lobby gates of the Embassy. The Shen diplomats were unloading crates of fireworks to be used in a celebration of the Shen New Year, and the combination of the car explosion and the fireworks created a massive blast that devastated much of the building’s front facade. 40 people were confirmed dead, and over 200 were injured.
The Embassy belonging to Libertas Omnium Maximus was attacked by upwards of 20 gunmen affiliated with the M.L.F. terrorist group. They detonated a car bomb which killed 4 civilians, 2 security officers, and a Maximusian marine. An ensuing gunfight occured, and the terrorists attempted to storm the embassy. Maxmusian marines and embassy staff fought back and halted much of the terrorist progression. By the time Vulkarian security forces arrived and eliminated the remaining terrorists, an additional 4 marines were killed.
In the waterways surrounding Vulkaria, numerous attacks unfolded. The LNS Celeste, a Nanhai-class frigate in the Laeralian Navy, was rammed by a speedboat full of explosives while passing through the Strait of Vulkaria near Vissengin. 16 sailors were killed and 26 injured in what was the deadliest-ever attack on a Laeralian Navy vessel in peacetime.
A few miles behind the Laeralian warship, a Zamastanian cargo vessel, the ZNSV Tarrian Star was also struck with an explosive-laden speedboat, killing 5 sailors and grounding the ship on the rocky shoreline.
Zamastan
In Zamastan, three bombs were detonated at Tofino International Airport, killing 28 people, injuring upwards of 50, and destroying a facade at the International Arrivals carport. Elsewhere in Tofino, a truck loaded with explosives erupted in a massive detonation outside of a theater in the popular downtown Waterway District, killing 19 people and injuring hundreds. The police offices of the Waterway District’s precinct were also the target of a suicide bombing, where a man detonated his vest in the lobby of the offices, killing 12. Two underground subway metro stations were also bombed, killing 41 people at Maple Avenue Station A and killing 18 people at Ciron Avenue Station F.
In the Zamastanian city of Providence, Thato D’vini, a popular restaurant, was the site of a suicide bombing, resulting in 5 deaths and several injuries. 2 people were killed when a bomb detonated in a garbage can on Providence’s famed Walken’s Pier. A subway system within Providence was also bombed, though the explosion caused no fatalities and two passengers were only slightly injured and are expected to be making full recoveries.
The transport hubs of Tofino were a major target, as evidenced by the bombings at the Tofino International Airport and the rail systems. Zamastanian authorities have announced a state of emergency, have shut down rail systems and coastal international airports, and have issued a curfew for the Administrative Districts of Zian and Northern Isle.
125 people were killed in Zamastan. The Zamastanian government disclosed that there were several foreign fatalities.
Legionas and Gardavasque
In Verdesia, Legionas, terrorists began firing on civilians and committed suicide bombings at the a five star Gran Verdesia hotel near the Palace of Verdesia and the Museum nearby. The attack claimed hundreds of lives, with 503 confirmed dead and well over a thousand wounded. The attack in Legionas was the deadliest attack of the day, and was Legionas’ most deadly terror attack in the nation’s modern history. Legionas security forces engaged terrorists at multiple occasions during the attack, suffering losses alongside civilian casualties.
In Gardavasque, a car bomb detonated aboard the Ferry MV Genevieve on route from the Gardavascan city of Mercy to Eternity, approximately 10 kilometers off shore in the Deep Blue Sea. Officials put the death toll at 248, with 14 people missing and presumed dead. 311 people were hospitalized, and 47 of the hospitalized remain in critical condition. Among the dead, 14 are children and 12 are seniors. The youngest is 3 months; oldest 101.
Gardavasque's fleet of Ferries was credited with being efficient, safe, and extremely easy to use, having been seamlessly integrated into the metro transit systems of the various cities it serves. There had been few injuries and no fatalities for nearly 75 years of operation, as thus, safety regulations were relatively relaxed and hassle-free compared to air travel. An unidentified official said that “few could have anticipated an attack from a foreign terrorist organization, as Vulkaria and Zamastan seem so far away.”
Eiria, Libertas Omnium Maximus, Xiomera, and DeBeeland
Terrorists also struck within the territories of several other nations. In Eiria, a bomb was detonated at the Central Merēta Convention Center. Authorities said that 56 people were killed, and that the 213 injured had been transported to hospitals. The victims were attending a conference of the Krastālen Province Board of Doctors.
In downtown Lumeniola, Libertas Omnium Maximus, a bomb exploded in the stands of a spectator area at a heavily packed concert. 22 people were killed, and a further 120 were injured. Pop/country singer Hazel Massy, who was performing at the concert, was unhurt and released a statement on her social media wishing “swift recoveries for the injured and condolences for the perished.”
In Huitzitaca, Xiomera, the Coytōchte Corporation Headquarters Complex was the target of a car bombing, with the government of Xiomera stating that there were 7 fatalities and 26 injuries. The Coytōchte Corporation is a PMC providing training to the Vulkarians under contract from the Vulkarian government and the Xiomeran government. Their operations across the world had been condemned by the Zamastanian government over their role in the 1991 Bjeorg Conflict, but the Vulkarian government had welcomed Xiomeran training for anti-terrorism groups. The attack in Xiomera was likely in response to the PMC programs, said Zamastanian intelligence officials.
In the nation of DeBeeland, reports came in of bombing at a remote and unguarded weather/scientific research station occupied by members of a DeBeeland research team. It is unknown but speculated that this attack was also perpetrated by the M.L.F. The location of the attack on Bellow Island, south of the main DeBeeland island. A team of five DeBeelandians were assigned to the station: one was reportedly killed instantly, one died in transit to the mainland after being severely injured; two received minor injuries, and one was not present at the station (elsewhere on the island checking instruments) when the blast occurred.
Casualties
Reactions
The attacks were condemned across the International Democratic Union, as dozens of nations were impacted.