- Oct 3, 2018
- 3,333
The village had no name anymore. Its Kurdish residents had fled over a decade ago, displaced by drone strikes and shelling from both sides of the conflict. Now it was little more than a skeleton of clay-brick homes and collapsed minarets. The howl of wolves outside searching for prey joined the erie sound of the winds. A cold wind howled down from the mountain ridges, bringing with it the scent of old ash and diesel.
Inside the gutted shell of a former schoolhouse, a dozen men sat in a rough semicircle, AK-47s leaning against the crumbling walls. A portable propane heater hissed softly, casting flickering shadows against the graffiti-scarred plaster.
Commander Delîl scratched his patchy beard as an old Soviet Makarov was holstered at his sid. He pointed at a camera images pinned to the wall with rusted nails.
“The base at Tatvan military base has two vulnerabilities: the fuel depot along the western fence, and the relay tower above the comms center. We hit them both, we cut power, disrupt their communications, and we launch several strikes targeting the soldiers encampments here, and here.”
Beside him, Rojda, the group's field technician and demolitions expert, a former electrical engineering student from Diyarbakır, adjusted her keffiyeh.
“Our estimate is that there are between 5,000 and 10,000 soldiers spread across the base. That is based on open source intelligence we gathered. I did a recce mission which showed minimal patrol movement between 0200 and 0430. Nightwatch rotates every 90 minutes. Their jammers are only good for two kilometers, we’ll use short-burst line-of-sight radio for exfil instructions.”
Someone in the back coughed. Heval Cemal, a hotheaded newcomer from the Syrian front, shifted impatiently.
“We should hit the comm tower first. Then use that window to take out their power supply.”
Delîl gave him a hard look..
“No. We hit the fuel dump first. Fire draws their attention. Then we plant the second charge at the tower while they're scrambling. Keep them reactive. Always reactive.”
A beat of silence.
Outside, a shepherd’s dog barked at nothing.
Rojda stepped away from the wall.
“We only have a hundred and fifty fighters here. I don’t see how we can possibly expect to take on the entire base. At best, we could pick off a squad or two before we’d have to withdraw due to their heavy vehicles and Turkish reinforcements.”
Delîl nodded, then looked at each of them in turn.
“Look…I know that this seems daunting, but our goal is to give them a bloody nose. I am still working out the assets, but whatever we do, we need to strike that base.”
Rojda shook her head. “What if we use mortars here?” She pointed to several rugged overhead passages overlooking the bases.
“No,” Delîl said abruptly. “We’d be putting our limited assets at risk.”
Rodja looked at the map. “We can’t attack them head on. We’re practically throwing away lives.”
Delîl shook his head. “I can’t risk those assets.”
“But you can risk our lives right?” Heval said as he picked up his rifle. “Like cheap chum.”
Delîl shot him a straight look. “I don’t know how you did things back in Syria, but you don’t get to lecture me here.”
Heval moved towards Delîl before Rodja put her hand out and pushed him back, “Don’t.” She said staring at the Heval.
Heval huffed, “We beat out dictatorship. No one you haven’t here, ” and with that he stormed out of the schoolhouse to the encampment outside.
,
“He is just eager Delîl, don’t pay him any mind.” Rodja said, wiping her face as she took off her keffiya.
Delîl shook his head. “They always come like that. Him, Mustafa, Roja, all the same…” He paused as he looked at the map. “And they always meet the same faith.”
Rodja gave him a stern look. “Delîl…it isn’t your fault.”
“I am the commander of this cell. It is my responsibility.”
Rodja gave him a soft look this time. "We are all fighting here for our homeland."
"Yet, it feels like we are fighting ourselves more than our enemy." Delîl said in defeat.
"This is new." Rodja acknowledged. "The orders, the target, and the stakes. I know you are thinking long-term, but we need to give them more than just a bloody nose. We need to wake them up."
Delîl nodded. "Get the rest of them back in here. We'll discuss it again."
Rodja gave Delîl a curt nod before going outside to get the rest of the guys back inside to finish their discussion.
Inside the gutted shell of a former schoolhouse, a dozen men sat in a rough semicircle, AK-47s leaning against the crumbling walls. A portable propane heater hissed softly, casting flickering shadows against the graffiti-scarred plaster.
Commander Delîl scratched his patchy beard as an old Soviet Makarov was holstered at his sid. He pointed at a camera images pinned to the wall with rusted nails.
“The base at Tatvan military base has two vulnerabilities: the fuel depot along the western fence, and the relay tower above the comms center. We hit them both, we cut power, disrupt their communications, and we launch several strikes targeting the soldiers encampments here, and here.”
Beside him, Rojda, the group's field technician and demolitions expert, a former electrical engineering student from Diyarbakır, adjusted her keffiyeh.
“Our estimate is that there are between 5,000 and 10,000 soldiers spread across the base. That is based on open source intelligence we gathered. I did a recce mission which showed minimal patrol movement between 0200 and 0430. Nightwatch rotates every 90 minutes. Their jammers are only good for two kilometers, we’ll use short-burst line-of-sight radio for exfil instructions.”
Someone in the back coughed. Heval Cemal, a hotheaded newcomer from the Syrian front, shifted impatiently.
“We should hit the comm tower first. Then use that window to take out their power supply.”
Delîl gave him a hard look..
“No. We hit the fuel dump first. Fire draws their attention. Then we plant the second charge at the tower while they're scrambling. Keep them reactive. Always reactive.”
A beat of silence.
Outside, a shepherd’s dog barked at nothing.
Rojda stepped away from the wall.
“We only have a hundred and fifty fighters here. I don’t see how we can possibly expect to take on the entire base. At best, we could pick off a squad or two before we’d have to withdraw due to their heavy vehicles and Turkish reinforcements.”
Delîl nodded, then looked at each of them in turn.
“Look…I know that this seems daunting, but our goal is to give them a bloody nose. I am still working out the assets, but whatever we do, we need to strike that base.”
Rojda shook her head. “What if we use mortars here?” She pointed to several rugged overhead passages overlooking the bases.
“No,” Delîl said abruptly. “We’d be putting our limited assets at risk.”
Rodja looked at the map. “We can’t attack them head on. We’re practically throwing away lives.”
Delîl shook his head. “I can’t risk those assets.”
“But you can risk our lives right?” Heval said as he picked up his rifle. “Like cheap chum.”
Delîl shot him a straight look. “I don’t know how you did things back in Syria, but you don’t get to lecture me here.”
Heval moved towards Delîl before Rodja put her hand out and pushed him back, “Don’t.” She said staring at the Heval.
Heval huffed, “We beat out dictatorship. No one you haven’t here, ” and with that he stormed out of the schoolhouse to the encampment outside.
,
“He is just eager Delîl, don’t pay him any mind.” Rodja said, wiping her face as she took off her keffiya.
Delîl shook his head. “They always come like that. Him, Mustafa, Roja, all the same…” He paused as he looked at the map. “And they always meet the same faith.”
Rodja gave him a stern look. “Delîl…it isn’t your fault.”
“I am the commander of this cell. It is my responsibility.”
Rodja gave him a soft look this time. "We are all fighting here for our homeland."
"Yet, it feels like we are fighting ourselves more than our enemy." Delîl said in defeat.
"This is new." Rodja acknowledged. "The orders, the target, and the stakes. I know you are thinking long-term, but we need to give them more than just a bloody nose. We need to wake them up."
Delîl nodded. "Get the rest of them back in here. We'll discuss it again."
Rodja gave Delîl a curt nod before going outside to get the rest of the guys back inside to finish their discussion.
