CSS Audun Alstad bombing

CSS Audun Alstad bombing
Part of Operation Afton the Zalluabed civil war
Smoke rises out of the port side of the CSS Audun Alstad 2 hours after the bombing. The Frigate CNS Nikolai Finne is pulled alongside.
Date 31 January 2024 Location Emmiria Sea, 53 miles northeast of Qahazar
Participants
Caspiaa	Kubani Unit
Casualties and losses
16 killed 171 wounded CSS Audun Alstad damaged	3
52 migrants killed

The CSS Audun Alstad bombing was a suicide attack by the Qahazar Brigade against CSS Audun Alstad, a Hamilton-class aircraft carrier in service with the Caspiaa Royal Navy while she was assisting in rescue efforts for several refugee skiffs in the Emmiria Sea. An explosive-laden skiff piloted by 3 militants blended with several over-crowded refugee vessels and pulled alongside the aircraft carrier, exploding and tearing a large gash along the port side of the ship and along the flight deck. 16 Royal Navy sailors were killed and 171 injured in the deadliest attack against a Caspiaan naval vessel since the World War. 52 migrants who were moored alongside the carrier were also killed.

The attack occurred on the two month mark of Operation Afton, a WEDA-ANS military campaign of aerial strikes against the Qahazar Brigade in the self-proclaimed People's Republic of Qahaza, during the Zalluabed civil war. It was the single-costliest incident during the operations. In the aftermath of the attack, the Caspiaan military stripped the commander of the Alstad of his rank and began an investigation, as WEDA policy forbade its naval ships from directly assisting supposed refugee vessels due to the security risks presented. Additionally, several nearby fleet commanders were also disciplined for allowing the skiffs to pass an established safety perimeter around the carrier. The Audun Alstad was not damaged severely, but was nevertheless returned to port in Tarijibar.