SECRET
UNITED STATES ARMY
INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY COMMAND, FORT BELVOIR, VA
29 MAY 2025
Area of Operations Profile: Anizay
(U) Administrative
All acronyms utilized in the following brief are proactively defined and utilized strictly for the streamlining of text and characters. All acronyms in the following report are defined/transcribed in full upon initial use and then abbreviated for subsequent use. The "Spoilers" marked part below contains utilized acronyms/abbreviations and their definitions and is closed simply to condense report size.
U - Unclassified. Used for government documents that do not merit a particular classification or which have been declassified. The information is low-impact, and therefore does not require any special protection, such as vetting of personnel.
CUI - Controlled Unclassified Information: Previously used as the "For Offical Use Only/FOUO" caveat for classifying unclassified, but internally distributed information, intended for controlled release to authorized persons only, but not sensitive enough to warrant SECRET marking & handling procedures.
C - Confidential. This is the lowest classification level of information obtained by the government. It is defined as information that would "damage" national security if publicly disclosed without the proper authorization.
S - Secret. Material that would cause serious damage to national security if it were publicly available.
SoAK - Sons of Al-Karbouli.
LoT: Lions of the Tigris.
AFB: Al-Fulisan Brigade.
SoT: Swords of Tarhid.
GoJ: Guardians of Fallujah.
FSK: Free Sons of Karboul.
IAF - Iraqi Armed Forces.
SIGINT - Signals intelligence.
IMINT - Imagery intelligence.
HUMINT - Human intelligence.
(C) Overview(C) The intent of this document is to provide general information regarding the current situation, terrain, and state of hostile forces throughout the areas of Anizay, Al Anbar Governorate, Iraq. Additionally, tactical analysis and projections regarding expected enemy actions, collated from information available at the time of dissemination have been provided, however, it can also be expected that any analysis provided is based upon tactics and pattern of life (POL) intelligence at the time of observation, and not a definitive or all-encompassing blueprint as to the complete capability of hostile & belligerent forces due to the inherently unpredictable and rapidly-changing battlespace as a result of armed conflict.
(C) In addition, predictions as to the intentions of the multitudes of splinter factions after the dissolution of the Sons of Al-Karbouli (SoAK), including the Lions of the Tigris (LoT), Al-Fulisan Brigade (AFB), Swords of Tarhid (SoT), Guardians of Fallujah (GoJ), and the Free Sons of Karboul (FSK), and the manner in which these adversaries are expected to use the terrain against coalition forces shall be detailed below. These assessments are based upon intelligence reports and information collected by the CIA's surveillance operations throughout the region.
(CUI) Terrain Overview
Fig. 1: Satellite view of the Anizay Region
(CUI) Anizay is the name of both the Northern region within the Al Anbar Governorate and the largest town within the region, situated ~250km to the North-West of Ramadi. While it is surrounded by desert in all directions, Anizay has found some success with farming thanks to the Euphrates river flowing along its North-Western border. The majority of the civilian population lives within Anizay and its surrounding suburbs, while a not-insignificant number of villages have also been established around the edges of the desert. The entire region can be divided into four distinct sectors: Anizay sector, Desert sector, Ziggurats sector, and Canyons sector.
(S) 1. Anizay Sector:
(CUI) Since the invention of the canal, Anizay has been slowly transformed over the course of centuries from endless sand dunes into lush farms and full oases, despite the overwhelmingly dry climate and frequent dust storms from the East. As such, Anizay is the most densely populated sector within the region, with rich culture and history dating back to the Ancient Mesopotamia period. The area is also well-known for its ancient city walls that have stood the test of time since their construction during the middle ages, particularly within the Sufian district which used to be a palace compound, where the walls have been meticulously maintained and the golden domes atop each tower still shine in the desert sun.
Fig. 2: Sufian district
(CUI) It should come as no surprise that Anizay is also the center of all religious activities within the region, with a large mosque situated within its Eastern district and many more, smaller mosques and religious sites scattered throughout the sector. Similarly, Anizay is also the bread basket of the region and the Al-Anbar Governorate as a whole, with extensive terraforming efforts providing large tracts of arable land that have fed Iraq since time immemorial. Various oil corporations have also set up refineries within the town for additional storage and quicker distribution to local customers. Two IAF bases, FOB Obeh and FOB Nauzad, have been re-named to COP Morgan and COP Adler respectively, to station NATO and UN troops after the 506th was rotated out.
Fig. 3: Big Mosque
(S) Since the 506th was rotated out of the Governorate in early 2024, CIA intelligence officers, combined with the efforts of NATO and UN troops, have discovered numerous civilian persons of interest with ties to the SoAK who were confirmed to have been working as recruiters for the militant faction. Since the dissolution of the SoAK, these civilians have largely been expelled from their communities by family members of those who were recruited into SoAK, and subsequently returned in body bags. Without any support, these civilians soon resorted to criminal activity, and were detained by local security forces. However, their detainments were cut short due to "religious cause", amongst other spurious legal reasonings, and they were released significantly earlier than their sentences would have allowed. HUMINT sources have confirmed that the Swords of Tarhid was largely responsible for this event, firstly due to their prominence in the region after the now-defunct SoAK, and secondly because of their strong religious idealism and ties to religious authorities within Anizay.
Fig. 4: Satellite view of the Anizay Sector
(S) 2. Desert Sector:
(CUI) This sector is aptly named for its most dominant terrain feature, which has yet to be terraformed by the denizens of Anizay. Aside from just sand, the sector is also dotted with small villages that were largely built to support the various oil fields and refineries, with some limited farming supported by small oases and underground water sources. Its most important landmark is the Landay Airfield to the East (renamed to AIRBASE CHUPAROSA), built by Yugoslavian contractors during the Cold War, which is currently under the control of the Iraqi Armed Forces (IAF). Some smaller landmarks are the walled city of Dola, the town of Maku and its oilfield, the Alis Oil refineries, and the largest civilian town of the sector: Naudeh.
Fig. 5: Walled City of Dola and Maku Oilfield (background)
Fig. 6: Landay Airfield (AIRBASE CHUPAROSA)
(S) As this sector is sparsely populated and within close proximity to IAF staging areas, militant and criminal activity has been much less frequent, though SIGINT and IMINT have detected suspicious activity within and between the towns and villages and the Canyons sector after midnight. It is highly likely, though not confirmed, that the Lions of the Tigris (LoT) - a SoAK splinter faction known for their weapon smuggling operations - currently has a strong presence within both sectors, and are working to expand their catalogue to more profitable contraband such as siphoned oil and drugs (Afghan opium and Syrian Captagon). As unrest and militant activities have increased over the last few weeks, the LoT has resumed smuggling weapons and ammunition in large quantities, likely with the assistance of corrupt IAF and local enforcement officials.
Fig. 7: Satellite view of the Desert Sector
(S) 3. Ziggurats Sector:
(CUI) This sector is named after its dominant landmarks: the ziggurats, an Iraqi term for pyramids. The sector has long been designated for tourism development, but due to political instability and protests from the nearby oilfield owners, has received limited funding and support, resulting in only the artificial river and the Akhund area being somewhat developed. The sector also houses the controversial Northern Hotel construction site, artificial Cleopatra's Cave, and Camel race track, which have all seen their construction time tables pushed back more than a dozen times over the past decade. The few civilian communities of note are the town of Qalandar and the village of Riqay, both being developed for the tourism industry that never seem to come to fruition. The sector is also home to the Riqay Airfield and FOB Thirty Palms, both dilapidated and abandoned military sites that the IAF no longer has the resources to man or maintain.
Fig. 8: Ziggurats
Fig. 9: Riqay Airfield
(S) The CIA's assessment suggests that the sector's innumerable delays are due to the intentional efforts of local actors, to create a legitimate front that allows for continuous funding and heavy industrial traffic activity to appear inconspicuous to a non-committed observer, either due to lacking expertise or other questonable motivations on the observer's part. This sector was most likely where regional SoAK leaders conducted meetings and fundraisers with financiers and sponsors both domestic and international, and since their dissolution, every splinter faction has been quietly fighting amongst each other to fill the power vacuum and regain contact with the SoAK's patrons. HUMINT suggests that until the pecking order is established, all factions have agreed to maintain the status quo without any overt violence taking place to build confidence with the backers and keep the attention of the authorities focused on the forever-delayed constructions of the tourist site.
Fig. 10: Satellite view of the Ziggurats Sector
(S) 4. Canyons Sector:
(CUI) As the name suggests, this sector's topography is extremely challenging, filled with sheer cliffs and prone to landslides at all times of the year. Civilian areas are therefore limited to the few open areas within and at either ends of the canyons, namely the villages of Gorqan, Mian, Arnay and Murabat. Notably, the villages of Arnay and Murabat are both historic defensive sites, with Arnay serving as a citadel and Murabat as a border fortress. The sector is also home to an eccentric oil tycoon who insists on being called "Bum", who has built himself a mansion at a remote corner of the region.
Fig. 11: Murabat Border Fortress
(S) As previously mentioned, this sector is rife with LoT smuggling activity, who has utilised the difficult terrain to their benefit in avoiding local enforcement authorities. Additionally, recent SIGINT developments suggest that the Al-Fulisan Brigade (AFB) has also taken refuge within this sector as their IED manufacturing has caught the attention of NATO & UN forces. No intelligence thus far suggests that "Bum" may be a person of interest, but his proximity to militant activities and conveniently remote location is adequate cause for continued observations.
Fig. 12: Satellite view of the Canyons Sector
(C) Expected Enemy Actions(C) After the destruction of the SoAK, splinter militant factions are likely to avoid direct confrontation and instead rely heavily on asymmetric tactics: ambush, IED/VBIED, propaganda, sabotage, civilian hostages, etc. Coalition forces are reminded to prioritise the goal of any COIN operation, which is to protect civilian life and infrastructure while building up the legitimacy and political power of the host nation of Iraq.
(S) The known splinter factions are hereby sorted by their threat level, current as of 29MAY25:
- Al-Fulisan Brigade: low numbers, exceptionally high threat.
- Swords of Tarhid: high numbers, high threat.
- Lions of the Tigris: high numbers, medium threat.
- Guardians of Fallujah: medium numbers, low threat.
- Free Sons of Karboul: medium numbers, no threat.
(C) Refer to the previous Intelligence Report for further details regarding each faction. Coalition forces must remain cognizant of the possible existence of factions outside of the above list throughout the course of the deployment, and relay any intelligence regarding said factions up the chain of command for positive identification and distribution at once.
Original Classifying Authority: 1-506th S-2 Intelligence
Classified By: 1LT J.N. Lee
Reason: 1.4(a), (c), (d)
Declassify On:
20500529
END REPORT
The entirety of this document represents fictional works of the 506th Infantry Regiment Realism Unit, S-2 Intelligence Shop, developed for use within the Arma Reforger military simulation video game, and exists purely for entertainment and educational purposes only. The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.
