2002 Bailenese Hostage Crisis

The 2002 Bailenese Hostage Crisis was a series of events that occurred in 2002 in Baileneu Ma, where a rich Liaotian businessman and his family were kidnapped by members of the Apostles of Bathin on the 8th of April. The resulting investigation led to the release of the children and wife from an abandoned warehouse used as a safe-house by The Red Brotherhood after infiltration by a joint Bailenese-Liaotian counter-terrorist unit six days later. The group was then traced back to a large ex-military compound deep in the mountains following a tip by local tribe leader, Gerhez Radu, thought to be one of the human-experimentation facilities used under the rule of Pedro Oliveira, on the 21st of April local security forces breached the main building after a communication error and found it to be empty, apart from the corpse of the business man who had been strapped into an IV machine. unbeknownst to the government forces, the facility had a vast network of catacombs that the terrorist group had retreated to, leading to an ambush of the local security forces where they were all thought to be killed, although only a few bodies were recovered. Under immense pressure from the Liaotian military, the SWP authorized an airstrike of the complete compound, leading to what was initially thought to be the end of the Apostles of Bathin. Two weeks after airstrike, local representative Gerhez Radu was found dead in his hut, with the words 'traitor' carved into the wall, as well as numerous suicide bombings, homicides and kidnapping associated with with the AoB.

Build-Up
Whilst the BA Troubles officially ended in 1991, many of the terrorist groups formed during these times never fully disappeared, the largest of these active groups is The Red Brotherhood, an anarchist group that formed an official truce with the SWP in 1991. However, due to the decentralized aspect of the terrorist group, many splinter organisations exist, such as the Apostles of Bathin, an apocalyptic death cult that had taken control of an isolated military base in the mountains. This group terrorized local tribes, kidnapping and murdering their inhabitants, although information of this only reached government officials after the crisis. Many of these terrorist groups were armed by outside agitators and captured military caches, although the AoB were particularly well-armed after seizing control of an old military blacksite with high-end weaponry and chemical weapons.

Initial Kidnapping and Warehouse Assault
On the 8th of April, wealthy business man Pak Chun Kwan and his family (wife and two daughters) were kidnapped from a house they were renting in the southern provinces at roughly 1-3 AM and were transported in an unmarked van to a nearby abandoned warehouse formerly used by the local Red Brotherhood chapter. Given the importance of the Kwan family in Liao, the Liaotian government began putting pressure on the Bailenese government to find the family, after 3 days of searching, the JTCF was formed, combining military and intelligence assets of Liao and Baileneu Ma. From this location, Pak was transported to a discrete airstrip deep in the jungle and flown into the mountains unbeknownst to the JCTF, whilst his family was kept in the warehouse under orders by an ex-Red Brotherhood member. After the JTCF picked up local reports of shouting coming from the abandoned warehouse on the 14th, Liaotian special forces stormed the building, freeing the wife and children whilst killing 5 armed gunmen and arresting 1. Whilst in a holding cell, the arrested gunman killed himself through ritualistic suicide associated with the more extreme terrorist groups such as Apostles of Bathin, leading to the JCTF identifying the group. On the 17th of April, the disfigured head of Pak Chun Kwan was found in a Masazi metro station, with the words 'All Must Succumb' spray-painted above it.

Siege of Main Compound
Following a tip by local tribesman and representative Gerhez Radu, JCTF tracked the AoB to a military facility deep in the mountains thought to be an old blacksite from Oliveira's regime where political prisoners were subjected to human experimentation. A Liaotian recon plane was shot down by a SAM site in the facility, giving the AoB an early warning of an impending raid, leading to even more pressure from Liao for Bailenese forces to end the crisis. Due to a communication error, a local militia group breached the compound and searched the main building, finding it empty, apart from the body of Pak Chun Kwan which had been attached to an IV machine (later found to be full of ethanol, 5-MeO-aMT and barbiturates) and surgically dissected, shortly after finding the body, the militia was ambushed by the AoB from underground catacombs and massacred. With Bailenese military command refusing to send soldiers into the cave network, fearing a bloodbath, and immense pressure from the Liaotian government to act decisively, the SWP and the government gave the green light for Operation Thunderous Judgment.

Operation Thunderous Judgement
on 2AM July 29 the JCTF launched operation Thunderous judgement, composed into two separate parts, Operation Thunderous Hammer was a 24 hour air operation which targeted cultist compounds and positions throughout the country. Liaotian armed forces involved included the RLN Roaring Accent Carrier Air Wing, RLN Plasma Dragoon Carrier Air Wing, 442nd Multi-role squadron, 3rd multi-role squadron,666th multi-role squadron, 999th Multi-role squadron, 24th multirole squadron, 33rd multirole squadron, 1st keshian squadron and the 1st electronic intelligence squadron under the Joint Strike command. At 2am the JSC launced strikes across the country targeting a number of cultist strongholds, the central citadel was struck heavily by the 3rd squadron, 666th squadron, and 1st keshian squadron using bunker busting munitions, the effects of this were catastrophic for the cultists with an estimated destruction of 90% cultist assets and the complete destruction of its command structure. The JSC attacked anarchist positions later in the day with similar effects. Ther operation was ended 3 hours early as JSC had completed all objectives.

Aftermath
The airstrike was thought to be the end of the Apostles of Bathin, however two weeks after, Gerhez Radu was found dismembered in his home, 'traitor' had been carved above the door to his room. The JCTF remained active for several months and investigated 6 high-profile suicide bombings, 13 homicides and 22 kidnappings, although only a few were associated with AoB. In 2004, a Liaotian documentary crew entered the catacombs with the help of local guides, all of whom went missing. This was briefly investigated by the JCTF, but was ruled out to be a tunnel collapse in the area they were filming, with no bodies being recoverable. In recent years, informal reports of missing people were investigated by local authorities but no conclusion was found, with rumors of uncollapsed tunnels still harboring cultists.