Lodamun

[imperialpearl]

At a press conference at Whitehall earlier this morning, Whitehall Press Secretary Catherine Rush alongside Director of National Assessment Elliot Pierson confirmed that although the administration continues to monitor the situation in Majatra related to Istalia’s invasion of both Pontesi and Kafuristan, President Derrick Rice had been weighing options towards potentially arming Kafuri forces against the Istalian invasion. The situation, which has evolved from a minor skirmish along the Kafuri-Istalian border following once-believed-false statements from the Istalian State-controlled media, into a major conflict between both states. As was reported by the Majatran Defence Brief, Kafuristani forces are in the opening stages of mounting a sensible response to the invasion, with the regular army and reserve forces being called into service. It identified the recapture of King Bassam Naval Air Base, a major air base in the country, as one of the key objectives of the 7th Corps’ numerous offensives in the area of Northern O'mer, where the Istalian naval landings are currently being stalled. At an earlier briefing by the DoD, it was revealed that surveillance footage from the Azuron maritime patrol drone in Mordusia (currently operating in the Sea of Lost Souls) that the Istalian invasion naval invasion had been largely supported by numerous transportation vessels under cover of various warships ranging from corvettes to frigates. Here, the DoD noted that although the vessels had not posed any major threat to commercial shipping in the region, its advisory against Lodamese ships traversing the region would continue indefinitely. It was reported that President Rice held a series of videocalls with the Lodamese Ambassador to Kafuristan, Amias Dodson who continues to liaise between the Lodamese and Kafuri Governments. Rush noted that the Ambassador continues to engage with Chief Minister Abdul Baari al-Nasr and Foreign Minister Tammaam al-Badour and has reiterated both Lodamun’s support for the Kafuri Government and its absolute condemnation of the Istalian invasion. “The President has met with Ambassador Dodson in al-Kasraj, who continues to engage with Chief Minister Baari al-Nasr and Foreign Minister al-Badour. We continue to reiterate our support for Kafuristan as well as our condemnation of this unwarranted invasion by the regime in Romula,” PS Rush explained.

DNA Pierson noted that the administration had been weighing numerous options to support Kafuristan in its struggle against Istalia. Kafuristan remains Lodamun’s single most important trading partner in Majatra, with the Harrington Company importing large quantities of crude oil and natural gas from the nation. With the outbreak of war, crude oil and natural gas exports have collapsed owing to the otherwise insecure nature of traversing the active warzone. This freeze in energy imports has deeply impacted the domestic economy, with the Department of Energy and Natural Resources contemplating dipping into the Strategic Energy Reserve to temporarily plug the hole once filled by Kafuri imports. It is against this background that the administration has noted that special considerations were being made as to whether it was indeed possible to begin arming the Kafuristani Armed Forces against the Istalian invasion force. “The vast majority of the meetings we’ve had this morning primarily focused on the question of whether we should begin arming Kafuristan against Istalia and providing them with as much opportunity to beat back this invasion to the Istalian border,” Pierson explained. It was reported that Kafuri Air Force had made careful deployments of its F-16K multi-role fighter aircraft, owing to their limited numbers. The F-16K is the Kafuristani variant of the Harrington Dynamics F-16. These limited deployments have forced the Kafuri Ground Forces to become creative in delivering devasting strikes against Istalian forces, with the deployment of kamikaze drones being viewed as a major alternative to aircraft-borne airstrikes. John Hudson, a civilian analyst for the Lodamese Army Wartime Institute (LAWI), stated that if Kafuristan were to be granted additional F-16s, it would likely increase the scope and scale of their strikes against istalian targets and could potentially strengthen their offensive against Istalian forces both at the border and in Northern O'mer. “I think if the administration were to transfer F-16s to the Kafuri Air Force, it would provide them with greater flexibility to deliver devastating airstrikes against Istalian targets. If we factor in providing them with more sophisticated munitions such as the JDAM, anti-radiation missiles etc, we [Lodamun] could enhance the lethality of the Kafuri Armed Forces.”

PS Rush stated that the administration was not concerned about the potential diplomatic fallout that could arise should the administration choose to provide Kafuristan with the means to repel the invasion. “We are not interested in hearing anything related to Istalian complaints. All we are willing to fear at this time is that Istalian forces are withdrawing completely from all offensive theatres, be it Pontesi and/or Kafuristan,” Secretary Calliou explained. At the earlier DoD briefing, Secretary of Defence Kristian Harding confirmed that the Lodamese Armed Forces would not become involved in the conflict beyond intelligence-gathering and surveillance. “I think it is reasonable for us to state that the Lodamese Armed Forces will not become directly involved in what could be a protracted, drawn-out conflict. Our capacity remains relegated to intelligence-gathering and surveillance,” Harding explained. There have been some who have expressed concerns related to providing Kafuristan with arms and material, especially amidst comments within the Majatran Defence Brief which point to the potential for a Kafuri-counter invasion into Istalia and whether Lodamun would continue to support Kafuristan during a counter-invasion into Istalia itself. Ultimately, the decision rests with the President, who Rush has noted, is set to have a series of video-conference meetings with Chief Minister al-Nasr and King Bassam II, where the potential for Lodamese support will be raised.