The Anīl-Vāl Special Operations Forces, colloquially simply known as Silurite commandos or sometimes guerillas, was a military formation of the Federal Silurite Army in the Second Century.

Mission and Structure

The Anīl-Vāl forces were utilized to support Silurite allies - a term synonymous with Holderhold's enemies - militarily. They were highly irregular units, which were legally considered autonomous mercenaries rather than legitimate military formations of Silur, and accordingly fought in wars in which Silur was not actually participating. They were typically deployed to help a local people defend against invasion of fight in an insurgency. The battlefields could vary greatly, from lush jungles to open windswept fields.

Operationally, Anīl-Vāl could be deployed wherever Silur or its allies had secure shipping lines; since the guerillas usually came in a package with Cuprien material support, transportation was rarely an issue. Because they did not have the rear-line logistics and combined arms support of an actual military, and typically were far inferior in numbers as well, the Anīl-Vāl fought as highly mobile skirmisher troops. They specialized in long-range missions, usually on the flanks or even behind the front, to attack the enemy's vulnerable positions, hamper his logistics, and perform reconnaissance. Thus, Anīl-Vāl traveled as light foot infantry, and were equipped with top-of-the line weaponry such as Cuprien SGT-140 assault rifles or Holderhold-made KW-22s.

Due to the unique operations of the Anīl-Vāl, recruitment was voluntary and with high requirements. Accordingly, the vast majority came from the ranks of the Federal Army, most notably active-duty troops which wanted to move from standby to affirmative action. Perhaps the largest single source of recruits was the Ranger Brigade, an elite unit that otherwise never left Silurite soil and thus left many of its rangers yearning for more.

Operational History

The Silurite army made use of small, mobile formations and guerillas during the four years of open war between Silur and Holderhold on the Clipper Islands, from 84 to 88. After peace was closed, the army continued several operations to support insurgencies in Holderhold-occupied territory. The desire to have dedicated guerilla troops, and to detach them from the regular army so as not to risk war, led to the creation of Anīl-Vāl in 91 OW.

The unit was deployed in virtually all of Silur's proxy wars against Holderhold expansion. The formation's peak were the 140s, when it commanded six full regiments. It performed very well as light infantry in the Giant Isle lowlands during the Jōtn War, serving as auxiliary units of the Storm forces.

As small-scale indirect wars died down, the special operations forces became superfluous. Besides, private formations offering better pay to their mercenaries had filled Anīl-Vāl's niche; Silur could always fall back on its elven mercenary companies if it needed competent proxy forces. Thus the formation was disbanded in 177.