However, nomadic peoples are more flexible than extremist groups; at most, they will flee after losing half of their population.
Having seized enough towns from government forces, the Azawad Coordination Movement has considerable room to maneuver and maneuver.
However, the heavy casualties at the beginning of the war were unavoidable, and the Tuareg people were already aware of this.
Looking at the destroyed Sidewinder launcher, Tequadda understood.
"We've been tricked again. The fact that they deliberately shot down our short-range air defense missiles means they're about to launch a full-scale offensive, which will happen very soon, probably tomorrow or the day after."
He addressed his subordinates.
A people who can survive in such a harsh desert environment for thousands of years must have some wisdom, and the other party saw through Xia Yu's intentions.
"Everyone must be prepared for battle, including me!"
With his beard turning gray, Tequadeda picked up an AKMS and began to speak.
He participated in Colonel Gatchai's special forces training camp in the 1980s. He is also a veteran who has fought his way up and will not back down in the face of a strong enemy.
Such an opponent is respectable, but when faced with the top fighting force in the Afica region, the future of the Azawad Coordination Movement is already sealed.
Night fell quickly and went quickly; the next morning arrived in no time.
Old Wu led a group of village security team cooks to prepare lunch in advance, and the full-time employees, having filled their stomachs, all boarded the bus.
The armored convoy set off first, followed by 3 tanks, 3 infantry, 1 heavy armor, and 2 sweepers, along with 6 BTR-82S tanks. The two platoons of second-line forces will guard the rear of the first-line assault force.
Meanwhile, the Germans were also ready to depart. They deployed 18 VBCI infantry fighting vehicles along with two fully equipped SOVIMM-2 mine-clearing vehicles, and split into two groups as they approached the city of Kedar.
"Da da da"
Upon seeing the convoy approaching, the surrounding militants pulled the trigger, and the signature AK gunshot rang out, alerting everyone in the city that the target had appeared.
"Knock knock knock"
The M811 25mm autocannons of the Fa Army opened fire first, providing fire suppression in the direction from which the gunfire came.
"On the mine-clearing vehicle!"
From a command VBCI in the center of the convoy, Henry gave the order to clear the mines.
At the same time in the south of the city, the Leclerc ARV of Jihuo Defense, equipped with the K2D minesweeping kit, also pushed forward by inserting its plow blade into the sand.
Upon entering the minefield, the attack speed of all units slowed down simultaneously.
When the militants saw that the anti-tank radar was having a delaying effect, they quickly called for pickup trucks carrying AT-3 missiles and Milan missiles to flank and ambush the armored convoy.
"Knock knock knock"
Upon seeing an armed pickup truck a kilometer away, the BTR-82S, equipped with an upgraded 20mm main gun, opened fire immediately, unleashing a torrent of ammunition supplied by the Chinese without hesitation.
Without the support of village protection teams, the local militia faced immense pressure from the constant stream of anti-tank pickup trucks, until…
"Splash splash"
The roar of a helicopter came from afar, and looking up, a flash of light appeared.
"boom"
"boom"
Two pickup trucks, in which anti-tank gunners in the rear were operating missiles, were destroyed one after another.
"It's an attack helicopter! Where are the anti-aircraft gunners?"
The grassroots commanders of the Azawad Coordination Movement roared.
"Here!"
Two anti-aircraft gunners carrying Arrow-2M rifles ran over quickly while loading batteries and gas cylinders.
"Quickly, take them down!"
Upon seeing the two somewhat unusual female Hinds in the sky, the commander immediately issued an order.
"yes!"
The two immediately aimed at their respective targets and pulled the triggers after hearing the lock-on prompt.
"Whoosh!"
The first-stage booster ignited, propelling the missile out of the launch tube. However, it had only flown to a height of a dozen meters, where there were no buildings to obstruct its view.
"Knock knock knock"
The Red Cheetah's twin 35mm anti-aircraft guns fired a burst of programmable airburst rounds at an angle to the rear.
"Puff puff puff"
"Boom boom"
After reaching the designated airspace, the small tungsten balls released by the missile easily penetrated the slender body of the portable anti-aircraft missile, successfully intercepting it at a distance of less than 1 kilometer.
The scene of concentrated fire defense, which was so commonplace, left the Tuareg people dumbfounded. This was illogical!
This is scientifically sound. If the distance is too far, there's nothing that can be done, but if it's right under your nose, it's like locking onto it with radar and shooting it down.
The best course of action for the Azawad Coordination Movement was to ambush a few anti-aircraft gunners outside the city, but their understanding of self-propelled anti-aircraft guns was still stuck in the Shilka River era, and that's when the problem arose.
"Knock knock knock"
Before they could be too surprised, the machine guns roared rhythmically, and the Longbow Crossbow was the first to fire.
A burst of seven or eight 30mm shells accurately eliminated all pickup truck targets in the thermal imaging channel.
"beep"
Following closely behind, Xia Yu operated the Gatling gun and opened fire, unleashing tungsten-core armor-piercing rounds at the masked, hooded targets wielding AKs and RPGs.
Regular bullets are fine, but the problem is that the attack helicopter's machine gun turret can't switch the ammunition feed path, and Xia Yu still needs to take down those pickup trucks.
"Whoosh!"
An 82mm mortar shell landed and exploded less than 100 meters from the convoy of the white army on the left flank.
"Call the 'Cold-wing Bird' crew to immediately clear the mortar positions in the east of the city!"
"yes!"
The infrared photoelectric head on the machine gun turret followed the flying squirrel's gaze and looked towards the east of the city.
"Whoosh!"
In less than 10 seconds, the trapezoidal rocket pod on the right inner short wing of the Longbow Cross Deer fired two 70mm simple inertial guidance rockets in succession.
"Boom!"
The rocket flew 3.8 kilometers and a well-hidden 82mm mortar was blown away along with its crew. The dozen or so shells that exploded sent up a tall column of smoke.
In a small border town like Kedar, the flat, earthen houses and courtyards make the town seem very large. At such a distance, machine guns would be inaccurate.
If Xia Yu were to take over, it would take seven or eight ordinary S-8 unguided rockets to achieve full fire coverage, but by adding the cheapest inertial guidance system to the rockets, the problem could be solved with a maximum of two launches.
"call out"
Xia Yu fired a HOT-3.
"Boom!"
A 120mm mortar position in the north of the city, which was preparing to fire, was successfully destroyed.
Anti-tank missiles can also solve the problem, but they are much more expensive. Fortunately, the Chinese have some in stock.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh"
The damage caused by the dual-unit output made Azawad Coordination Movement unable to hold back any longer, and more than a dozen portable anti-aircraft missiles were fired at them.
"Knock knock knock knock"
The near-saturation attack directly exceeded the Red Cheetah's processing capacity, unleashing over a hundred rounds of ammunition in one go.
"Boom boom boom boom"
The eight missiles that were closer were accurately intercepted, and the four missiles that were further away were also powerless against the Snow Leopard crew. As for the Longbow Cross Deer, which was positioned further forward, three of its missiles attacked the Cold Bird crew at once.
"Beep beep beep"
The infrared/ultraviolet warning devices in the cabin went off frantically, but Lao Han and his companion remained calm because the helicopter's active infrared suppression system quickly took over.
After the onboard computer quickly calculated the direction, speed and distance of the incoming missile, the high-powered laser emitter fired a laser beam at the missile that posed the greatest threat.
"boom"
The SAM-24, whose infrared seeker had been burned out, was detonated prematurely, and then another laser beam was fired at the second missile.
"boom"
Within seconds, two missiles were suppressed in succession, but the third Arrow-2m, which had already exceeded the safe distance, was about to hit the target and shoot down the Longbow Crossbow.
"Puff puff puff puff"
At the last moment, Lao Han threw infrared flares to both sides without hesitation.
"boom"
The missile crashed into the dazzling fireworks and exploded. Fragments of various sizes struck the aircraft's armor harmlessly, making a clanging sound.
Xia Yu, who was in a better position, managed to maneuver away from the refurbished missiles that were aimed at him.
"Do these guys think portable anti-aircraft missiles are free? These 12 missiles must cost 2 million!"
After verbally complaining, he became even more certain that the Tuareg had found the colonel's armory. A total of 12 rounds—many extremist groups and rebels have such resources, but to fire 12 rounds in one go—that's the kind of confidence one would have if they had hundreds of portable anti-aircraft missiles.
The anti-aircraft missiles in the armory alone are worth tens of millions of dollars, and all of these items together are worth more than 100 million US dollars.
It could easily cost as much as 200 million, after all, Libya has the largest oil reserves in all of Afica, which is what gave Gaddafi his arrogance back then, waving his money around and daring to buy nuclear bombs from the five great philanthropists.
"beep"
With his gun moving at the slightest movement, Xia Yu, who held grudges without holding grudges, pressed the fire button and unleashed a barrage of firepower in the direction from which the missiles were flying.
An anti-aircraft gunner reloading a missile into his handheld needle launcher was pierced again by a bullet that penetrated the earthen wall. He had wiped out half of the soft targets marked by thermal imaging, until another portable anti-aircraft missile came.
"Knock knock knock"
"boom"
After completing this four-shot interception, Lu Xianglin noticed that the Red Cheetah's ammunition reserves had decreased by 240 rounds.
After firing the self-propelled anti-aircraft gun for just over an hour, it had already used up 400 rounds of programmable ammunition. The remaining ammunition wouldn't last until the evening, so he quickly reported this news to Xia Yu.
However, it wasn't just the Snow Leopard crew that maintained high-frequency output; both attack helicopter units had only 30% of their ammunition remaining.
"Calling the meerkats, when can you open a safe passage?"
Xia Yu immediately contacted Hans, who needed supplies and could no longer provide fire support for the time being.
"We are 200 meters away from the temporary supply point, which is expected to take another half hour."
With a single shot blasting through two courtyards, Hans answered Xia Yu while keeping an eye on the surrounding area.
"Use explosive tactics to quickly establish a safe passage. My crew and I can't hold out for more than half an hour."
Xia Yu immediately issued the combat order.
"Yes, boss!"
Because the enemy's firepower was more intense than before, the Leclerc ARV was the main force for mine clearance at the front, but when it came to demolition and advance, the GPZ-80 took over.
"Puff puff puff"
Two GBP-150 explosive charges landed on the mine-strewn dirt road and were pulled straight back, followed by…
"Boom boom"
Two deafening explosions, the 130-kilogram anti-tank mines, carrying explosives, collapsed dozens of shops along the street, and the rising smoke instantly spread for hundreds of meters.
The most deadly thing was that the militants hiding in these shops, preparing to ambush the armored convoy, were either blown apart by the shockwave and had their internal organs ruptured, or buried alive by the rubble and lost their fighting ability.
"Reload the explosive strip, push the convoy forward 100 meters, and then detonate!"
"yes!"
Smoke and dust cannot block thermal imaging like a thermal smoke screen. After repeating the above operations, Hans and his team finally arrived at the designated temporary supply point through the 100-meter passage opened by the blast.
Meanwhile, Xia Yu and Hanhao Bird's crew in the sky had run out of ammunition and had to return to the village camp to resupply.
To prevent Tuareg attacks, a CH-4 and a Sparrowhawk B took over the aerial patrol mission.
A total of six anti-tank missiles should be enough to secure the temporary supply points within the city.
This number is sufficient to deal with rebels with clear intelligence, but it's not enough against the Azawad Coordination Movement.
"Whoosh!"
"Boom boom"
As the Sparrowhawk B fired its last Spike and the CH-4 fired its last AR-1, the electro-optical camera transmitted images showing new mortar positions being established.
The abundance of missiles and rockets is understandable, but the number of mortars of various calibers is seriously excessive.
"Calling Leopard Cat, this is Mongoose, requesting backup!"
Watching the live feed on the tactical tablet, Hans immediately contacted Johnny.
This guy and the other instructors were on a supply truck heading into the city; the newly cleared passage was safe for now.
"The leopard cat understands and is coming to rescue you."
Johnny put on his FPV flight goggles as he spoke, and the top hatch of the container with steel plates behind him opened.
"Waaaaah"
A total of six cargo-carrying drones flew out of the containers under the powerful motors and sped toward the mortar positions in the north of the city.
Even without missiles, the effect of using an FPV racing drone is the same.
The instructors all took this course in their spare time, and it came in handy this time when they went to the city to deliver goods.
To keep a low profile, the Azawad Coordination Movement did not utilize the large-caliber howitzers in its arsenal. Instead, it heavily trained its members in the use of mortars of various calibers and amassed a large stockpile of such equipment within the city of Qidal.
Now that the attack helicopters that are focused on defense have run out of ammunition and the reconnaissance and strike drones have lost their fangs, they will definitely seize this opportunity to launch a counterattack.
Two men per 60mm cannon, four men per 82mm medium cannon, and six men per 120mm cannon. A total of more than a dozen artillery crews emerged from the tunnels and established artillery positions directly in the ruins of the courtyard that Xia Yu had just attacked.
Before even firing a single shot, a very peculiar sound rang in my ears.
What's going on?
"Boom"
The leopard cat's vision turned into a ball of static with no signal, but the subsequent explosion meant that the 82mm mortar crew was wiped out.
"Boom boom boom"
The continuous explosions were accompanied by the pleasant sound of settlement notifications, until the second batch of six FPV drones carrying live ammunition took off again from the container.
This thing doesn't have as long a range as a proper loitering munition, and its loiter time isn't great either, but it's cheap, which is enough.
In just over ten minutes, the armored convoy at the temporary supply point only took a few test shots, with no continuous artillery fire whatsoever.
When Tequadda first witnessed this type of disposable drone with explosives, he was deeply shocked.
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