There are a huge number of patriotic veterans who are top notch snipers. And there are many who spent a lot of time doing “counter-sniper” operations. See where I am going with this?
If the government brings in mercenaries, our side needs to bring in professionals who are a LOT better than their mercenaries.
Importantly, our counter snipers are *not* murderers, they will be defenders, and they will not open fire unless the federal mercenaries start sniping at citizens.
Optimally, the federals will never know that the counter-snipers are even there. The situation will end peacefully, with no federal the wiser. But if the federal mercenary snipers decide to murder people, that will be the end of them. And not a tear shed.
Let’s see if they are willing to declare one of their dead snipers as “innocent” and give him a promotion and pay raise, just like they do their living snipers who kill innocent people.
Drones and IR sensor suites are a problem there.