Buhriz Movement

The Buhriz Movement is an unrecognised proto-state that is based mainly in the Middle Eastern areas of the Awtoh-verse. The Buhriz Movement was founded in 1985 and has its roots in Afghan, Chechen and later Takistani militia groups.

The group is designated as a terrorist group by the United Nations Security Council, NATO, the United States, Russia, China and various other countries (See enemies). The group is notorious for executions and genocides of civilians, military personnel, journalists and IDAP personnel. The United Nations holds the group responsible for multiple genocides and crimes against humanity. The Buhriz Movement committed genocides in Lythium and Altis.

Soviet-Afghan War
The Buhriz Movement was initially founded in 1985, in Afghanistan. While much of its prior leadership was unknown, it is speculated that it comprised of mainly Mujahideen veterans and volunteers from other militia groups. The Movement went on to assist the Mujahideen in attacks on Soviet positions, where it began to stockpile weaponry from overrun Soviet positions in addition to what was provided by the Mujahideen and various other countries.

Post Soviet-Afghan War
Following the end of the Soviet-Afghan War, the Movement went on to promote their vision of one united Middle Eastern coalition. This was largely unpopular with other militant groups, with the more reserved militant groups viewing it as "too extreme" and the more radical militant groups viewing it as "too unrealistic". Nonetheless, the group spent most of the Post Soviet-Afghan War building a loyal base of followers.

Pre-September 11 Attacks
Prior to the September 11 attacks, the group engaged in opium trade, arms deals and kidnappings to fund the Movement. The Movement was particularly successful, targeting countries and regions where security forces were unable to pose any significant threat. The Movement maintained a large stockpile of Eastern-bloc weaponry, while capturing Western-bloc weaponry for limited use. As a result, the Movement built up an unusually large armoury in relation to its size, in addition to remaining under the radar of most Western countries.

Reaction to September 11 Attacks
In the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks, the Movement denounced the Al-Qaeda group. This led other militant groups allied to Al-Qaeda in the Middle East to turn on the Buhriz Movement in turn. Due to successful negotiations between Buhriz Movement diplomats and other militant groups however, some of these groups that were allied to Al-Qaeda subsequently changed sides.

Denouncing Al-Qaeda had also brought about positive attention for the Movement as well. Western countries were quick to fund, train and provide additional arms to the Movement to combat the rising threat of Al-Qaeda. Seeing the chance to make money quickly, opportunistic Private Military Companies (PMCs) were quick to offer advanced training in tactics to the Movement. The exact number of PMCs that offered training to the Movement is unknown, but speculated to be extremely high.

ISIL Period (2013 - 2019)
During ISIL's rise to power in the early to mid-2010s, the Movement took a more neutral stance compared to its stance with Al-Qaeda a few years prior.

Following the Fall of Mosul in 2014, the Movement capitalised on this opportunity to secure undisputed land. Once again, this went largely unnoticed by Western countries due to subtlety in which it was carried out.

Following the fall of ISIL in Baghuz Fawqani on 23rd March 2019, the Movement began to receive an influx of ISIL veterans and officers fleeing to join the movement.

Concurrent Period (2019 - present)
The Buhriz Movement launched a full-scale invasion on 26 February 2019, causing casualties among local security forces and securing large territories of ground quickly.

On 1st March 2019, a joint coalition intervened against the Buhriz Movement across occupied territories. A ground offensive was led by the coalition in addition to airstrikes, supplying and training of local forces. By mid-2019, the Buhriz Movement had lost most of their conventional organisation within the occupied territories.

Following the losses in mid-2019, survivors of the Buhriz Movement fled to Anizay. This eventually resulted in the 2020 Anizay Offensive.

The group is active on Malden, where skirmishes against military training sites are frequent.

On 14th March 2021, the Buhriz Movement made a resurgence. Ground lost in mid-2019 was quickly overrun and reoccupied in a similar fashion to the events of March 2019. Additionally, the Buhriz Movement attacked multiple overseas bases, occupying entire islands in some cases. This led to the ongoing 2021 Altis Crisis.

Conventional
The Conventional branch of the Buhriz Movement was officially formed in 1996, shortly after the end of the First Chechen War. Seeing the defeat of Russian Federation forces in Chechnya, Buhriz Movement commanders were confident that a conventional army would prove useful if they could arm, train and maintain it. The Movement was optimistic in the Conventional branch's ability to stand up against local security forces, relying only on the other branches in areas where the Conventional branch could not reach.

The group fought in skirmishes against enemies of Al-Qaeda up until the September 11 attacks. Although untrained, the Conventional branch showed some promise. Their disciplined fighting style and more modern equipment (in comparison to their adversaries) proved effective in combat, often forcing the enemy to abandon their position before they had even come within effective firing range. The skirmishes were not without casualties however, the earliest battles led to a loss ratio of approximately 5:1 in some cases.

Following the September 11 attacks, the Conventional branch received a massive increase in funding from the Movement, and training by veteran militant leaders, Western advisors and PMCs. Infantry were extensively trained in assaulting entrenched positions as well as urban environments. Tank crews were trained by Western advisors on camouflage techniques and outmaneuvering the enemy. Additionally, training was given to coordinate between armour assets and infantry. Those that excelled and proved to be extremely loyal would be reassigned to the "Iskandar" militia.

In 2019, the Conventional branch saw extensive use as the Buhriz Movement took over Lythium, Takistan, Fallujah, Diyala and Anizay in rapid advances during the 2019 Spring Offensive. The offensive completely destroyed and disoriented local security forces and shocked the West, of which some countries were responsible for their training. This prompted a global coalition effort to eradicate the Buhriz Movement and drive them out of occupied territory.

Iskandars
The Iskandar branch of the Buhriz Movement was formed shortly after its inception, in 1986. The branch consisted of hardliners that strongly supported the Buhriz Movement's policies and ideologies. Initially formed of only 12 committee members, the Iskandar branch eventually grew to include a personal paramilitary, before expanding into a fully armed branch.

Initially, training was mostly carried out by Mujahideen veterans. After the end of the Soviet-Afghan War, training was carried out within the branch itself by veterans. Tactics that were trained were constantly trialed by fire and as a result its early tactics resulted in many casualties. By 1998 however, with Iskandar volunteers having fought in Chechnya and utilised improved tactics, the branch has mostly solidified itself as an elite and fearless fighting force of the Buhriz Movement.

The group was active despite the September 11 attacks, engaging in bank robberies, kidnappings and arms deals in more secluded areas of the world. This allowed the Movement to maintain itself while keeping the Conventional and Insurgent branch quiet. Western advisors and PMCs that trained the Conventional branch were unaware of the Iskandar branch's existence. Iskandar officers attended trainings as "observers", and subsequently integrated the tactics learnt into their already proven fighting styles.

In 2019, the Iskandar branch was employed to eliminate the possibility of rebel forces and to maintain security in local regions alongside the Conventional branch. The branch took drastic measures in order to accomplish its objectives — suspected collaborators were rounded up and executed, while violent crackdowns and raids on civilian houses were carried out. The Iskandar branch is also suspected to have carried out the incineration of Afghan policemen during the 2019 Spring Offensive, although this has never been confirmed.

Insurgents
The Insurgent branch of the Buhriz Movement served as the core of the Movement in 1985, carrying out attacks against Soviet forces in Afghanistan alongside Al-Qaeda forces. The Insurgent branch consisted of only a single platoon in its early stages, being reinforced occasionally by survivors from lone militia cells or anti-Soviet volunteers. By the end of 1985, the Movement grew to have approximately 1,000 insurgents.

Unlike the Iskandar branch, training was carried out completely by Mujahideen veterans. This continued until the end of the Soviet-Afghan War, after which it relied on the Iskandar branch and its own veterans to train new recruits. The Insurgent branch was much less fanatical and more cautious in its fighting style in stark contrast to the relentless and fierce fighting style of the Iskandar branch, engaging only in guerilla tactics which allowed them to sustain far fewer casualties despite being less well-trained.

The branch completely halted all activities following the September 11 attacks. The branch only resumed activities after Western countries designated the Buhriz Movement as an ally in 2002. As with the Conventional branch, training was provided to the Insurgents as it was deemed necessary for them to function in territories of militia groups designated as hostile by Western countries. The training transformed the Insurgent branch from a slightly more than functioning force to a fully capable insurgency capable of coordinated ambushes at a moments notice through the usage of IEDs, camouflage and drones.

In 2019, the Insurgent branch was responsible for launching attacks to divert local security forces. Security forces responding to the attacks were ambushed on the way to rally points, with many either killed or injured. The Insurgent branch continued to fight alongside both the Conventional branch and Iskandar branch throughout the 2019 Spring Offensive, in some cases seeing more fighting than the other two branches.

Arsenal
The Movement first utilised equipment that consisted of mostly Soviet gear, captured during the Soviet-Afghan War.

The end of Soviet-Afghan War meant that Soviet vehicles that were abandoned were quickly requisitioned by the Movement. Although the Conventional branch did not exist until 1996, armour pieces such as the T-55 were acquired and were either kept in reserve or saw action with the Iskandar branch in regions were local security forces were deemed weaker by Buhriz Movement commanders.

The group continued to build up Eastern-bloc equipment through arms deals with various weapon dealers. The Insurgent branch focused on the usage of technicals mounted with support weapons in order to conduct its raids, and invested a large amount of its funds in Offroads and static weapons. This allowed the Insurgent branch to set up firing positions to cover and quickly relocate while foot-mobiles moved to their objectives. The Iskandar branch adopted a similar doctrine, although conducting its raids much more aggressively and relied on speed and suppression to overrun their objectives.

Following the September 11 attacks, the group acquired a fleet of an unknown number of Mi-8s. Helicopter pilots were provided basic training by PMC groups. T-72 tanks were also reportedly acquired during this time period.

In the mid-2010s, the group acquired more air assets. An additional 30 - 50 Mi-8s were reportedly added to their arsenal, alongside additional older jet aircraft such as the F-4 Phantom and A7 Corsair.

By the time of the 2019 Spring Offensive, the Movement had an air fleet with sufficient supporting equipment, enough to rival small countries. Most of these jets never saw action however, as they never made it to the frontlines for usage. The jets were mothballed until the 2021 Offensive.

Small Arms

 * AK derivatives
 * FAL (Limited service)
 * M2 Flamethrower (Seen only during 2019 Spring Offensive)
 * M4A1 (Limited service)
 * M79
 * MG-42
 * Mosin Nagant
 * PK
 * SVD

Launchers and Support Weapons

 * 2A18 Howitzer
 * 2B14 Mortar
 * AGS-17 GMG
 * DsHK HMG
 * M119 Howitzer
 * M252 Mortar
 * M2 .50 HMG
 * M72 Launcher
 * Mk. 19 GMG
 * RPG-18 Launcher
 * RPG-7 Launcher
 * UB-32 Rocket Pod

Transport Vehicles

 * Datsun
 * Hilux
 * HMMWV (Limited service)
 * Land Rover
 * Offroad
 * Ural-4320

Armoured Personnel Carriers

 * BTR-40
 * BTR-60
 * M113 (Limited service)

Infantry Fighting Vehicles

 * BMP-1
 * BMP-2
 * M2 Bradley (Seen only during 2019 Spring Offensive)

Main Battle Tanks

 * M60A3 (Seen only during 2021 Altis Crisis)
 * T-55
 * T-72

Aircraft

 * A-7 Corsair
 * AC-47
 * C-47
 * Cessna
 * F-4 Phantom
 * L-139
 * MiG-21
 * Mi-8

Trivia

 * The Buhriz Movement is the first enemy faction to appear in the Awtoh-Verse.
 * The Buhriz Movement takes its name after the Insurgency map, Buhriz.