Temple Strike

Temple Strike is the fifteenth and final GDI mission of. The mission depicts the final major GDI operation to eliminate Kane at his Temple of Nod in Sarajevo. GDI's victory here marked the end of the First Tiberium War in Europe.

Background
Nod forces were abandoning Croatia and Yugoslavia and retreating into Bosnia. They had determined to make their last stand at the location of it's European Temple of Nod located on the outskirts of Sarajevo, Bosnia's capital. Armed with nuclear weaponry as it was they were confident that they could take a large number of GDI personnel with them.

GDI forces advanced on the city in three columns, one of which was directed at the Temple of Nod itself. It is this battle that is considered most notable. The GDI was convinced by its spies within the Temple itself that Kane was inside and Nod forces apparently believed this too.

Battle of Sarajevo
James Solomon was given the honor of leading the assault against the Temple. And once again he was given access to the Ion Cannon to aid his efforts. Nod forces had heavily fortified the region and defeating them would not be easy despite the resources available to the GDI.

Believing Kane to be among them and with nowhere left to run Nod forces fought with a ferocity that had never before been encountered, seemingly caring nothing for their own lives. But despite this, James Solomon was able to prevail by his skill and tactical acumen over them. Having weakened the Temple with a conventional assault an Ion Cannon blast destroyed the Temple utterly, seemingly killing Kane.

But rather than leading to their surrender, their despair at the apparent death of Kane only increased the fanaticism of the Nod defending Sarajevo. GDI forces were forced to hunt down the last Nod soldiers within a ruined Sarajevo. Only then did peace fall upon the ruins of that city and with this the First Tiberium War came to an end.

Aftermath
The GDI and Nod both believed that Kane had died in the blast. In truth however, Kane survived with some injuries to his head.

But Nod forces and countries outside of the European theater remained intact and unconquered. Most notably Nod had not so long ago conquered the entirety of Africa. But despite appearances Nod was not a coherent organization but a haphazard collection of leaders and factions held together only by the iron grip of Kane. For all the land that they had conquered (and lost) Nod unity rapidly disintegrated.

During the 30 years of relative peace between the end of the First Tiberium War and the Second Tiberium War, General Hassan of Egypt would eventually assume control of Nod's remaining possessions in Africa rising to de-facto leadership over the whole of Nod at least in part through his media channel the Nod News Network broadcasting out of Benghazi, Libya.

While maintaining an openly anti-GDI and pro-Nod stance and inciting a certain level of unrest and low-level warfare against the GDI, General Hassan was in secret collaborating with the GDI and was prepared to imprison or execute leaders who threatened to escalate the undeclared war beyond levels considered acceptable to General Hassan (and the GDI).

The GDI would eventually recover from the damage done to it in the war by Nod, eventually constructing an orbital command and weapons station, Philadelphia and expanding its core forces to the extent of rendering national governments largely irrelevant by the start of the Second Tiberium War, at which point only the forces of the General Hassan controlled Brotherhood of Nod could possibly contend with it in a conventional war. National governments would never again be as important to the GDI or Nod as they were in the First Tiberium War.

Nod later built a new temple on the ruins of their old one but it got destroyed again by the Ion cannon.

Walkthrough
Recommended units to produce in this mission are MRLSs to counter Nod infantry and Apaches, and Mammoth tanks and Orcas to take on the Temple complex.

Beware of any possible nuclear missile strikes.

Trivia

 * Although the mission is set in Sarajevo according to the narrative, the arrows in the pre-mission satellite view point to the town of Kladanj, which is to the northeast of Sarajevo. In Command & Conquer: Remastered, the arrows are aimed more to the direction of Sarajevo.
 * Joseph David Kucan confirmed that Westwood Studios intended the ion cannon ending to be the official canon.