2012 Noshkant bombings

2012 Noshkant bombings
Part of terrorism in Kulkkistan
The embassy of Rykensvik in Noshkant on fire following the bombing
Location	Noshkant, Kulkkistan
Date	14 December 2012 11:28 — 12:16
Target	1. Central Noshkant Eiban Market 2. Embassy of Rykensvik in Noshkant 3. Kulkkistani Air Force headquarters 4. Ukalabh Temple of Worship
Attack type	Suicide bombing, car bomb
Weapons	Suicide belt
Deaths	172
Non-fatal injuries	900+
Perpetrators	Akhist State (claimed)
Motive	Establishment of ties between Kulkkistan and Rykensvik, Akhist extremism, cessation of attacks against Baltocarpathia
Accused	Ismail al-Usman

The 2012 Noshkant bombings were a series of bombings that occurred on 13 December 2012 in the Kulkkistani capital of Noshkant. Nearly 172 people were killed in the attacks, with more than 900 wounded following simultaneous truck and suicide bombings at four different locations in Noshkant. A crowded market, the embassy of Rykensvik, the Air Force headquarters, and the Ukalabh Temple of Worship were all the locations that were targeted by the perpetrators. The Akhist State, an emerging militant group in eastern Kulkkistan claimed responsibility for the attacks, however the government of Kulkkistan blamed "foreign enemies" of Kulkkistan for assisting the Akhist State in the bombings. The government of Kulkkistan has also vowed to punish those responsible, with reports that Kulkkistani military forces plan to commence an operation against the Akhist State.

The first explosion occurred at 11:28, when a man equipped with an explosives vest detonated the vest at a crowded spot within a shopping market in eastern Noshkant, which caused the majority of fatalities in the attack, as 78 people were killed in the market, and at least 230 were wounded. At the embassy of Rykensvik, a light truck rammed into the gates of the embassy, breaking through, before blowing up and causing a large portion of the building to collapse, causing 62 fatalities so far as recovery efforts continue. The third explosion occurred at the Kulkkistani Air Force headquarters, causing no fatalities and wounding nearly 20, due to the smaller size of the bomb within the car that was hosting the explosive device. The final explosion occurred within the halls of the Ukalabh Temple of Worship, as a suicide bomber charged into the temple and detonated his vest during prayer hours, killing 32 worshippers.

In the weeks leading up to the attacks, Kulkkistani security forces in eastern Kulkkistan had reported a number of security incidents concerning the Akhist State. Along with this, the group had established a local media station in eastern Kulkkistan, where the group's leader, Ismail al-Usman would make statements and claims.

Background and motives

Following the 1980 Kulkkistani Revolution, a number of extremist militant groups had emerged in Kulkkistan, with most choosing to side with the government of Kulkkistan and Supreme Leader Ali Tarrokh. However, a small number of groups had opposed the government of Kulkkistan, many of those being pro-democracy groups that were forced into exile in southern Baltocarparthia by the Kulkkistani military. However, in the late 2000s heading into the late 2010s, a handful of groups were formed as many military and religious figures sought more extremist practices within Akhism. These groups also vehemently opposed imperialism, western ideals, capitalism, globalism, Udonovism, communism, and a number of other ideologies and practices. The Akhist State was one of these groups, being formed sometime in the mid-2000s by former Hazameh member Ismail al-Usman.

There had been particular anger at the Kulkkistani government following a series of diplomatic initiatives aimed at solving regional tensions, such as the 2001 Salis Agreement between the governments of Kulkkistan and Baltocarpathia. This resulted in the Kulkkistani military refusing to officially get involved in the 2001 Balto-Kulkkistani border war between Baltocarpathian forces and Udonovist militants in the north. The Kulkkistani military also refused to get involved in the Baltocarpathian Civil War, which caused even more anger as a number of countries were involved in a war happening right on Kulkkistan's borders.

The last terrorist attack in Noshkant before the 2012 bombings was the 1990 Ali Tarrokh assassination attempt, in which a far-right anti-Udonovist assailant attempted to assassinate Supreme Leader Tarrokh by planting an explosive device on his car before a scheduled trip to the northern city of Nouris. However, the tour was cancelled just moments before it was supposed to happen, and the car blew up, wounding two civilians. Before that attack, a number of attacks had occurred in Noshkant just after the revolution by anti-Udonovist assailants, with many happening during and right before the revolution by many Udonovist groups.

The government of Kulkkistan had also made the controversial decision of establishing diplomatic and economic ties with Rykensvik, a nation which heavily practices capitalism and democracy, both of which are extremely disliked by the Akhist extremists.

Despite this, the city was still on high alert, as the Akhist State broadcasted numerous threats against the Kulkkistani government, claiming to have prepared an attack against Noshkant. Kulkkistani security forces also arrested a suspected member of the group in an apartment in Noshkant, before letting him go on no charges.

A number of reports also claimed that the group had successfully managed to set up a terror cell in Noshkant, however the government of Kulkkistan refused to take these claims seriously. It was only after the attacks that an investigation was launched in order to search for these cells. According to an anonymous source close to the Akhist State, dozens of affiliates had relocated themselves to Noshkant in order to better plan the attack just days before, while managing to avoid Kulkkistani security forces.

Attacks

Market bombing

On 14 December, at around 11:28, the first explosion occurred when a man linked to the Akhist State detonated an explosive vest he was wearing, which he managed to sneak into the busy market. There were reportedly thousands of people at the market, meaning the place was very crowded and the assailant was able to sneak his vest into the center without an problems. Just moments before he detonated his vest, he started yelling extremist Akhist slogans, which caused some concern among the civilians at the market, and caused security officers to approach him, before noticing the vest. It was at that point that he quickly detonated it, causing a large blast that tore through the market, completely destroying surrounding shops and immediately killing those who were around him. The sound of a large blast caused panic outside of the market, with Kulkkistani security services receiving a wave of reports of an explosion within the market. A nearby bus was also heavily damaged, as it was set on fire as a result of the nearby explosion, trapping dozens of civilians and eventually killing most of them, while wounding the remaining. Security services would then arrive to the scene, where they would begin helping civilians in immediate recovery efforts. However, they were reportedly extremely slow in their operations, with emergency services being completely absent at some points.

Allegedly, Noshkant police had received calls about a suspicious man wearing a vest and shouting extremist slogans, however nothing was done about these calls until after the bombings occurred. Noshkant police ordered the evacuation of nearby streets and ordered civilians to stay indoors. Many people were urged to remain calm, and transport services were shut off in surrounding areas, with entire streets blocked off as emergency services continued to arrive.

The market bombing would end up causing 78 fatalities, being the deadliest of the four bombings, with around 630 left seriously wounded. Due to the large amount of casualties, emergency services couldn't assist a majority of those who were injured, therefore the market was turned into a makeshift hospital, with regular civilians stepping in to help those who were injured but couldn't get any help.

Embassy of Rykensvik

Truck similar to the one used in the embassy bombing

Approximately just five minutes after the first bombing at the market, a smaller-sized truck would begin approaching the Rykensvik embassy in Noshkant, drawing the attention of guards near the gate. It is unknown what occurred next, however allegedly the guards denied the truck driver's request to enter the embassy's gates. This caused an argument between the driver and the guards, before the driver would drive off, going around the entire embassy and driving his truck a block south of the embassy, where he would drive full speed at the gates, smashing through and driving full speed into the embassy, causing the large amounts of explosives within the truck to detonate. The driver of the truck was immediately killed in the explosion, as well as the guards that had been near the gate. Allegedly, the driver of the truck rammed into one of the guards, killing him before the explosion occurred.

The blast caused the a large portion of the northwest sector of the building to collapse, with an ensuing fire that was successfully put out be emergency services before it could spread to other portions of the building. Just before 11:40, emergency services, already dealing with the aftermath of the explosion at the market, would receive another wave of calls from embassy staff and nearby civilians alike, reporting an explosion that caused a portion of the building to collapse. Emergency services would quickly arrive, working to put the fire out before it could spread to other parts of the embassy. Nearby buildings also sustained heavy damage, with the building directly east of the embassy having its entire east-facing wall ripped out due to the explosion. The large blast also caused a handful of buildings to face shattered windows, and as a result, many civilians would receive injuries due to incidents regarding glass from their windows shattering.

The embassy bombing ultimately killed 62 people, and wounding another two hundred. Of these numbers, 30 who were killed and 60 who were wounded were part of the Rykensvik embassy staff, meaning that a fourth of the embassy staff had either been killed or wounded by the blast. The remaining 32 deaths and 140 injuries were Kulkkistani citizens.

Air Force Headquarters

Nearly a minute after the explosion at the embassy of Rykensvik took place, a car parked near the Kulkkistani Air Force headquarters exploded. However, the blast was small, and the building face no damage whatsoever, with just 18 left slightly wounded. Instead, the blast caused an immediate reaction from the Kulkkistani government, with Noshkant's government ordering the evacuation of all government, military, religious, and civilian buildings. Alongside this, Noshkant's Tarrokh International Airport was shut down and evacuated.

Ukalabh Worship Temple

The fourth and final bombing occurred in the Ukalabh Temple of Worship where many Akhists had been residing during Akhist praying hours. The blast occurred during evacuations, as buildings across the city were being evacuated due to the series of bombings that were taking place. According to a number of witnesses, a man wearing an explosive vest charged into building, which caused panic among the worshippers within the temple, with the man shouting extremist slogans. He was also threatening them, claiming that he wouldn't hesitate to detonate the vest if any of them left. Despite these threats, people began to flee the temple, which resulted in him detonating his vest. The explosion caused the temple to sustain damage, however most of the temple's infrastructure was able to withstand the blast, and no structural collapse of any sorts happened. Instead, 32 civilians were killed in and around the temple, while around 70 were wounded.

Perpetrators

Immediately following the bombings, the Kulkkistani government pinned the blame on what they called their "foreign enemies", refusing to elaborate on what that meant specifically. Kulkkistani investigators also presented false evidence in their attempt to frame the attacks on foreign nations. Even after the Akhist State claimed responsibility for the bombings, the government of Kulkkistan claimed that the organization had received "extensive assistance" from foreign organizations who were attempting to sabotage Kulkkistan.

Just hours after the attack, Akhist State leader Ismail al-Usman claimed responsibility for the bombings in a broadcast on the group's local media station. The motives he claimed for committing the attack included the slow but sure subjugation of Noshkant to foreigners, an ideological objection to Rykensvik maintaining ties with Kulkkistan, and Tarrokh's softening tone regarding Akhism. In the same broadcast, al-Usman also claimed that the Akhist State was planning on commencing more attacks on enemies of Akhism.

Just a day after the bombings, Kulkkistan launched an investigation in order to find the identities of those responsible for the bombings, as well as other affiliates of the Akhist State residing within Noshkant. Further investigations concluded that there was an active terror cell in Noshkant, responsible for the attacks.

Kulkkistani investigators reportedly discovered the identities of most of the assailants after recovering passports, however have refused to share their identities. Third-party investigations have revealed that many of the attackers were former members Taro-Ulaban, a militant organization aligned with the Kulkkistani government known for its ruthless methods in attacking the Baltocarpathian border.

Reactions & responses

Domestic

● Vice President Taghi Daranh: Vice President Daranh, who assumed Supreme Leader Ali Tarrokh's role of president just days before the attacks took place, stated that Kulkkistan would punish those responsible for the attacks, and that no one involved in the attacks would be let free without consequences. He also announced that 13 December would be a day of mourning for Kulkkistan in order to commemorate those who died in the attacks. He stated that terrorism is a plague that all nations must unite together to resolve, no matter their differences.

● Akhist National Assembly: The Akhist National Assembly had reportedly started to construct a military and diplomatic plan in order to properly respond to the attacks. Sources close to the Kulkkistani government indicate that these plans could include working with other nations in military operations against the Akhist State.

● Akhist State of Kulkkistan: Before claiming responsibility, the organization "strongly commended" the attacks, calling it one step in the right direction towards what they claimed to be "true Akhism". Supreme commander of the organization Ismail al-Usman stated that the attacks would not be the last of their kind, and that more operations were in the works.

● Hazameh: Chief commander of the militant organization Rezan Pavlavi strongly condemned the attacks, stating that they were an act of war against the people of Kulkkistan and the national revolution. He also offered his condolences to the families of the victims and those who were wounded, and also stated that Hazameh would fully support the Kulkkistani military in any of their oncoming actions against the Akhist State.

● Ansouthi movement: Chief commander Faroud Mahelmeni condemned the bombings, stating that his organization would support Tarrokh in his oncoming decisions in order to retaliate against those responsible.

● Socialist Revolutionary Party of Kulkkistan: The political organization offered its condolences to the victims of the attacks, condemning them in the process and announcing that its armed wing would assist in punishing the perpetrators.

● Front for the Liberation of the North: The FLN expressed its shock at the attacks and condemned them, stating that it was ready to punish those responsible and the foreigners that had helped in preparing the bombings.

● Akhist Resistance: The Akhist Resistance condemned the attacks, and stated that the Akhist State does not represent the ideals of Akhism, claiming there was a lack of Udonovism within their ideals.

International

● Rykensvik: President Valka Jorgenson condemned the savage attacks in a statement, claiming that Rykensvik would be working in conjunction with Kulkkistan in punishing the perpetrators. It was also stated that Rykensvik would soon commence operations against the Akhist State, as they had claimed responsibility for the attacks.

● Baltocarpathia: Baltocarpathia offered support to Rykensvik in order to determine those responsible for the attacks.