Operation Urgent Shield -Libera

“Operation Urgent Shield”

Summary:
Operation Urgent Shield was the name of the Korrodosian Operation to rescue noncombatant nationals in the nation of Liberia in West Africa during its brief take over by terrorist forces.

Outcome:
The operation left 15 Korrodosians killed, and 52 wounded. Two Helicopters were destroyed, and several small craft and vehicles damaged. All civilians were successfully rescued and Korrodosian units were deployed in an ongoing counter terrorism and nation building capacity.

Situation:
Early in the morning on Saturday May 9th, 2020 terrorist forces comprised of Boko Haram, Ansaru, and al-Qaeda attacked Liberian government infrastructure with forces numbering in the tens of thousands.
Several high level government figures including the president were murdered, police forces were overwhelmed and slaughtered, and the military was overrun to a small contingent guarding the Greenville Airport.

Korrodosian Response:
Immediate Action was required and within hours of the terrorist attacks the Imperial Korrodosian Vessel Master Ofree von Narden responded with embarked troops. Lucky the ship was transiting the area after a training exercise in the Mediterranean. At nightfall the noncombatant evacuation began, with small teams inserting via helicopter into areas around the capital Monrovia.

Meanwhile Unmanned Autonomous Underwater Vehicle and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Reconnaissance of the harbor and approaches was conducted. This was in preparation of docking the ship at the Freeport to offload troops and heavy equipment.

During the night the von Narden docked and disembarked approximately 200 Korrodosian Marines and sailors in of Axe Company, 1st Battalion, 293rd Regiment Korrodosian Fleet Marine Force, supported by 5 LY10 Bloodhound tanks, 5 LY219 ‘Heavy’ IFV and 10 LY83 Utility Cars. The troops convoyed to recovery Korrodosian Mining Corporation personnel in a nearby church and retreated to the dock area, forming a perimeter for follow up forces.

The next day the Terrorists continued to massacre civilians and the remaining police forces in the city. Terrorist forces turned their attention to the dock area but was unable to dislodge the Korrodosian forces and suffered severe casualties.
Battles around the docks continued for the next few days with Korrodosians making frequent forays into the city to rescue trapped pockets of indigenous troops and civilians. A forward hospital was set up in one of the warehouses on the docks and medical attention was given to all at this facility.

During this time the Korrodosian Airship Korolis briefly visited Greenvile Airport to drop off medical supplies. The area had been secured by other foreign troops so the airship made her way to the docks to reinforce the Korrodosian position with a further Company of Aeromarines and an additional 7 V-22 Osprey.

About this time a Crisis Intervention Team from the Korrodosian Diplomatic Command arrived at Madrid Airport, Spain, to coordinate the response with Liberian government officials.

The fighting around the docks continued, heavy damage being sustained to the surrounding city blocks as terrorist forces continued in vain to dislodge the now heavily dug in Korrodosian Forces. Several times the frigate used her main gun to break up mass infantry attacks with airburst munitions. With ammunition running low the forces were resupplied by the airship Nagamba who landed additional ammunition, medical supplies and food.

Progress was made on the diplomatic front at this time with the formation of an international apparatus and procedures to coordinate the continued response in the nation. Zones were defined for future operations as additional troops poured into the beleaguered country.

At this time local militia troops began to fight back, elevating much of the strain on the Korrodosian forces near the docks. This allowed better access to the hospital by locals, and medvac was coordinated with the other allied factions.

Additional Forces arrived from transit, these included the Destroyers of Force ‘R’, 781st Carrier Strike Group, 7805th Amphibious Strike Group, and its embarked forces of the 7th Marine Brigade. Almost immediately upon arrival in theater the 7th Brigade launched the 7th Battalion to the area known as ‘West Point’ to seize and clear the urban area south of the entrance to the river. Combat operations in this area were intense but short lived. Stabilization operations of providing medical care and food followed the securing of areas almost immediately.

Later that day after the dawn landings the 7th Brigade launched 18th Battalion in a two-pronged attack on the Ministry of Defense’s Headquarters at dusk. One team of landing craft approached from the seaside as another came in from the river side on hovercraft. The large-scale employment of hovercraft from river side caught the defending terrorist forces off guard. Additional forces were landed by helicopter after the area was secured.

A few hours later after nightfall the 302nd Commando launched its own attack on the Spriggs Payne Airport. Infiltrating in before the main forces, scout-sniper teams on small boats marked paths for the follow on hovercraft and took up overwatch positions on the airport terminal. When the main assault began the first wave landed on quieter boats and proceeded to secure the runway. An epic 3 hour firefight ensued which saw the bulk of the remaining terrorist resistance in Monrovia break. The landing of 3 battalions of troops in less than a day combined with airstrikes directed by an EC-380 Rivet Behemoth intelligence plane and Damocles satellites broke the majority of the resistance in the city.

With an additional Battalion aboard the 7812th Amphibious Strike Group, and the 55th Infantry Expeditionary Brigade and the 50th Aeromarine Brigade available for tasking, the campaign continued into the mopping up phase of operations. These counterterror operations now mostly confined to the forested interior continue on. Various charity organizations sponsored by the Korrodosian Government are active providing relief.