Khaled al-Asad (May 1, 1963-), better known as The Ascendant while leader of al-Qatala, is an Iraqi terrorist and former military commander of Iraqi insurgents funded by Imran Zakhaev and his Ultranationalist Party. He kickstarted his revolution by kidnapping and executing Yasir al-Fulani, a well-known royalist and supporter of the Saudi monarchy, on live television. Al-Asad was later kidnapped and shot in the head, but a metal plate in his forehead caught the bullet and saved his life. He was then imprisoned in a Russian black site for over eight years before being freed by Viktor Zakhaev.
Al-Asad became the new leader of al-Qatala and made massive reformations, turning it from a well-organized insurgency to a small, well-funded army thanks to Zakhaev Arms and its stockpile of Cold War and modern era equipment.
Biography[]
Khaled al-Asad was born on 1 May 1963 in Iraq, having lived under both the Iraqi Republic and Ba'athist Iraq governments. The immense corruption of both organizations fueled his anarchism, sparking rebellion in al-Asad's soul. He soon started an insurgency in Iraq, eventually becoming notable enough to be a target by Saddam Hussein himself. After Hussein's death, Al-Asad was hit with a drone strike in 2002, severely injuring him; this required a metal plate inserted into his head and also put him in a three-year recovery. Between 2005 and 2011, he gained immense support across the Arabian Peninsula, gathering a massive army under his belt.
By 2011, he had partnered with Imran Zakhaev for funding and military equipment, eventually deciding to make his first big move: the destabilization of Saudi Arabia.
The shot heard around the world[]
He started by kidnapping an extremely popular Saudi diplomat and royalist, Yasir al-Fulani, at his home in Al Qunfudhuh. The city was soon assaulted by the Insurgency, capturing al-Fulani's supporters and executing them in the street as Al-Asad gave a speech on national television. Al-Fulani was soon brought to the city square and tied to a pole, then executed on live television for the entire world to see.
The Insurgency War[]
Al-Fulani's death severely destabilized the region, causing massive riots across Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Middle East. The House of Saud soon approved foreign intervention, which enabled the US military to invade areas controlled by the Insurgency. The initial insertion point was in Khafji, where Al-Asad was making a speech at a broadcast station. The city was assaulted, but Al-Asad was not found; the speech was a pre-recorded message. The US Marine Corps pushed through Al Qunfudhuh and Medina, taking key Insurgency-held cities.
Intel found in the cities suggested that Al-Asad had taken up residence in Basra, Iraq. The battle was spearheaded by Lieutenant General Hershel Shepherd and a massive task force of USMC, US Air Force, and Army personnel, where they pushed to Al-Asad's palace only to find an armed nuclear weapon in his place.
Despite EOD efforts to disable it, an order passed down from the terrorist Vladimir Makarov to Al-Asad to detonate the device, which he proceeded to do so. The resulting blast killed over 30,000 US military personnel and obliterated the remainder of the city.
Capture and near death[]
Nikolai, an FSB asset and SAS contact, hypothesized that Al-Asad was at an Azerbaijan safe house guarded by Ultranationalist forces. The SAS' Bravo Squad, led by Captain John Price, assaulted the compound and found Al-Asad. They tied him up and interrogated him to discover how he obtained nuclear weapons. Al-Asad didn't break, but Zakhaev himself called his phone. After identifying the caller, Price shot Al-Asad in the forehead, seemingly killing him. The team did not have time to completely confirm his death, and had to exfiltrate as Ultranationalists closed in on his safe house.
After undergoing emergency surgery, and after Imran Zakhaev's death, Makarov decided that Al-Asad was no longer of use to his plans. He was thrown into an Ultranationalist black site, being tortured over the course of eight years.
Return[]
In 2019, after learning of his survival, Viktor Zakhaev freed Khaled al-Asad from the now-Russian black site, having been recruited to spearhead al-Qatala. With Zakhaev Arms' money and his experience in leadership, Al-Asad led an invasion of Verdansk, Georgia; it was conquered quickly by the overwhelming force of AQ's newfound state-of-the-art technology. Al-Asad's return prompted NATO, Russia, and various mercenary factions to unite and form the Armistice to end the invasion.
After significant setbacks by al-Qatala, al-Asad released a massive amount of chlorine gas around the city of Verdansk, which rapidly closed in on the remaining Armistice operators. Infighting occurred to the point that Simon Riley was the only survivor left in the city, fracturing the fragile alliance. Al-Asad and AQ retreated to Syria to regroup and recover their losses, with Zakhaev remaining in the city. He later approved Hassan Zyani's plan to cripple the United States in late 2022, sending many AQ fighters to assist him in this effort.