Kafuristan

[Auditorii]

Mujaz al-Difa al-Majitrani

Majatran Defense Brief, a publication of Gath Defense Collective, brings you the latest in defense and security news in Majatra.

April/May 5574 | Crisis in Southeast Majatra: War breaks out between Istalia, Pontesi and Kafuristan

As tensions over the years grew in Southeast Majatra, influenced by its Majatran neighbor in the north, Pontesi, Kafuristan prepared for conflict with Istalia. The conflict, largely based around ethnic lines, seemed to simmer until early morning hours of April, 5574 when Istalian ships, air craft and special operation forces began a conflict against the Majalite Kingdom of Kafuristan. The eastern coast of Kafuristan, dominated by the region of O'mer became the battleground between Istalia and Kafuristan, the first Majatra war in several decades. The early warning systems that Kafuristan has developed, failed according to sources close to the Kafuri General Staff and the Ministry of Defense and sources close to the Majali family noted that when discovered, King Bassam flew into a rage and nearly attacked his brother, the Chief of the General Staff Field Marshal Kabir bin Ziyaad al-Majali who had come inform him of a growing fleet of Istalian vessels off the eastern coast. King Bassam ordered all available forces to be dispatched the eastern coast, perhaps the most damning failure was the attack on the new King Bassam II Naval Air base, located on the outskirts of al-Qoralus. The South Ocean Fleet, currently on rotation in the Majatran Sea, had little vessels at the base and thus largely escaped unscathed. According to sources close to the Majali family, the General Intelligence Directorate activated a number of "sleeper" organizations within their Quanzari loyalist in western Istalia, where the Majatran population is its largest.

Following the reports of both amphibious and air-based landings, in the early morning hours of the operation, both the 7th Corps and the 8th Corps were fully mobilized, and dispatched to the eastern coast of O'mer. In the run up to tensions, the Kafuri Majatran Army had been partially mobilized, notably in O'mer where the General Staff believed an invasion would take place. General Abdul Baasid el-Youssef, commanding officer of the 7th Corps and General Azhaar al-Greiss, commanding officer of the 8th Corps have begun the process of repelling any invasion. According to reports from the Military Intelligence Directorate, provided to the Political and Morale Directorate, portions of O'mer have been occupied by Istalian troops but largely consist of smaller towns and uninhabited areas. The 11th Corps, which has been assigned to rear guard duties, has been pushed into reserve areas to provide enhanced security to Kafuristan's cities and high value installations. While Istalian forces will likely be able to establish a suitable beachhead and forward positions to begin planning more advances, the Kafuri Majatran Army will begin counter-attacks along the coast.

As the days rolled on, the Kafuri Majatran Army came under attack by Istalian Air Force assets, and the Kafuri Majatran Air Defense Force was largely rolled over against the more advanced air frames of the IAF. The KMADF lost several aircraft in air-to-air engagements, but the IAF was unable to make any serious gains by attacking notably Kafuri facilities due to the fact that the "Kafuri Shield", operated by the KMADF was fully operational and has been in place for centuries to protect major cities and important locations throughout Kafuristan. Elements of the 11 Air Defense Squadron and 109 Air Defense Squadron were wholly destroyed, prompting the intervention of the the 675 Air Defense Squadron, the 776 Air Defense Squadron and several others from around the country. The aerial war, continuing to be dominated by the IAF, has largely been won over small towns and villages, where the Kafuri Shield is generally non-existent or outdated. The Kafuri's responded in kind, forces from the Kafuri Royal Guard Corps (KRGC) launched a series of missile strikes aimed at the western provinces of Istalia, focusing mostly on military installations, economic and industrial centers and command and control operations. The missiles, which were launched from southern O'mer and southern Abi'nadi, were joined by a flurry of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), many of them loitering munitions, commonly called "suicide drones", due to their expendable nature.

The Kafuri Royal Guard Corps also immediately deployed significant forces, including the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Corps to O'mer to meet the invasion. The KRGC, perhaps the most well equipped and trained formation of the Kafuri Armed Forces, is expected to engage in heavy fighting as it reaches to meet Istalian forces on the coast. O'mer's eastern coast, as is somewhat typical throughout Kafuristan, major cities and towns and villages are well built up and connected with infrastructure but smaller villages and towns, and large open areas are poorly connected to the wider infrastructure of the nation. O'mer, has "above average" infrastructure but the coastal areas, outside of a few major cities and towns, which Istalia has begun staging to attack, have not been invaded and are preparing for any attacks. Over the next few days, the Kafuri forces will be converging on O'mer and the growing threat of the Istalian fleet off the coast.