Sri Lanka. Jaffna Peninsula. Inuvil Village!
It might not be very well-known.
But in the annals of global counter-terrorism, this place holds some infamy.
The leader of the Tiger Organization, the short and stout Velupillai Prabakaran, was born here.
After rising to fame, he gave back to his hometown—the entire village was filled with small Western-style mansions, with a statue of him at the center, arms akimbo, gazing disdainfully toward Colombo.
But at this moment...
The village was deathly silent. No, there were faint, muffled sobs.
Hundreds of villagers squatted in the open space at the village's center, their terrified eyes darting to the soldiers encircling them. These soldiers had masks covering their heads and were armed with U.S. M4 carbines.
An elderly man, his hair white as snow, dangled from a rope in the center. A dagger was lodged in his mouth, his head thrown back, eyes open wide in a death stare, with the last vestiges of despair frozen in his gaze.
Blood dripped steadily from his body, splattering onto the ground: drip, drip, drip... The sound echoed ominously, beating in rhythm with the hearts of those watching.
Such crude methods...
No need to guess—this must be Mexico's 4th Battalion.
There weren't many of them, around 60 soldiers in total, serving as a forward assault unit.
After the 4th Battalion landed in Colombo, Erich Manstein led his men straight for Jaffna. Sri Lanka's combined armed forces—army, navy, and air force—totaling nearly 60,000 troops, had encircled the island with one mission: to exterminate Velupillai Prabakaran, this malignant tumor.
Deputy Commander Gerhard von Rundstedt devised a particularly "vicious" plan: send men to infiltrate Inuvil Village and abduct Prabakaran's family, relatives, and close associates. If the target dared to show himself, they'd encircle him with overwhelming force.
Even if he didn't come, the operation would shake the morale of the Tiger Organization, given how many from Inuvil Village had risen with him in rebellion.
"No one has told me where Velupillai is hiding? Does no one in this village know who his family is? Very impressive—I admire your courage."
The Deputy Commander, Gerhard von Rundstedt, let his expression darken. "But I dislike it."
Then, with a sudden motion, he grabbed a woman by her hair and yanked her out of the crowd.
"No! No!!" The woman didn't seem very old. She struggled and screamed desperately, tears streaking her face. At her capture, many of the men in the crowd visibly tensed, with several jumping to their feet in protest.
A soldier carrying a squad machine gun opened fire without hesitation, his hands steady as a rock, the recoil seemingly non-existent in his grip. Seven or eight men who had stood were mercilessly gunned down on the spot.
Their bodies hit the ground with heavy thuds.
There was never going to be a debate.
Warnings are a courtesy to criminals—not a necessity.
Seeing the soldiers so decisively open fire, the crowd was thrown into chaos. Many wept in terror, covering their mouths, their shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
Gerhard von Rundstedt leaned close to the woman he had seized, taking a deliberate sniff. "Givanchy's Amarige. This year's release. Not exactly something everyone can afford. And... that Franck Muller watch—don't tell me you just 'found' it."
His observational skills were shockingly acute.
The woman, under his intense scrutiny, betrayed a flicker of panic in her eyes.
"Let me guess... maybe, just maybe, you're Velupillai Prabakaran's sister?"
The authorities were already well aware of how many direct relatives Velupillai had.
While he had gone into hiding with his wife and two sons, his younger sister and brother remained active in Inuvil Village, assisting the Tiger Organization in various operations. Photos of them were scarce and seldom circulated.
Rundstedt was partially bluffing, but the flicker of fear in her eyes convinced him. He grinned. "Caught a big fish."
"Is anyone else willing to step forward and confess? Spots are limited. If you cooperate, I swear, your lives and property will be spared."
He turned his gaze to the villagers.
Everyone kept their heads down. Some exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of what to do.
"Good! I like stubborn bones—breaking them will be satisfying."
"Commander... Commander, don't shoot—I surrender! I'll be a witness! I surrender!" At that moment, a middle-aged man with a limp raised his hand and cried out.
"Charles! What are you doing? How dare you betray Velupillai? Your entire family deserves death!" someone from the front row, still defiant, cursed loudly upon seeing him step forward.
A soldier didn't hesitate; raising his weapon, he struck the dissenter on the head with the butt of the gun.
The man's body convulsed as he hit the ground, twitching uncontrollably.
The middle-aged man called Charles shuddered in fear, his face reflecting abject terror.
"Don't worry," Rundstedt said, loosening his grip and walking over to pat Charles on the shoulder with a smile. "We are the Government Forces, here specifically to protect civilians. As long as you help us locate our target, you'll remain a civilian."
Charles hunched over, offering a servile smile, and pointed at the weeping woman on the ground. "She's Velupillai's sister. That's her son, her husband, and over there—that's Velupillai's mistress..."
Turning his head, he pointed out individual people in the crowd as he spoke.
With his revelations, soldiers began dragging those identified out of the group.
By the time they were done, more than 20 people had been rounded up.
"Anyone else?" the Deputy Commander asked with a smile.
Charles stood on his toes, scanning the crowd carefully before shaking his head. "They're... all here."
"Good, good—you're a real civilian."
Rundstedt's expression turned icy as he glanced at his subordinates. "Kill the rest."
"What? Commander, Commander..."
Charles panicked. "No, no. You can't—you can't kill them!" He waved his hands desperately. "This isn't right!"
But no one listened to him. At the order, soldiers pulled the triggers of their rifles, mercilessly mowing down those left kneeling on the ground. Blood splattered in all directions as the crowd was executed en masse.