[Zamastan]

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[/hr]Zamastan | World - IDU | Politics | Economy | Opinion

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The Tofino Times
Click Here to Visit The Tofino Times Website
Monday, January 6th, 2020

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[/hr]VOL. XXXII .. Num. 6320 | In the News: CONFLICT IN VULKARIA

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[color=#FF0000]BREAKING NEWS
COALITION FORCES FACE STIFF RESISTANCE IN THE CITY OF FREEBORN
Zamastanian, Maximusian, and Shen troops began their assault on the insurgent-controlled city

Above: Zamastanian troops engage enemy fighters in Freeborn, Vulkaria

A long-awaited offensive to seize back Freeborn after two years of Malvarian Liberation Front control has begun with columns of armor and military starting to move on the northwestern Vulkarian city.

The start of the offensive, which has been weeks in the planning, was announced in an address on state television by Vulkarian President Farhen Brooks in the early hours of Monday morning.

Brooks said: “We have been battling the M.L.F. for more than two years. We started fighting M.L.F. in the outskirts of Vulkar and Amstelveen, and thank God we are now fighting them in the outskirts of Freeborn, and God willing the decisive battle will be soon.

“These forces that are liberating you today, they have one goal in Freeborn which is to get rid of the M.L.F. and to secure your dignity. They are there for your sake,” he said.

After a several-day-long buildup, the first vulnurable urban stronghold of Malvarian Liberation Front has for several days been almost completely flanked to the east by a 30,000-strong force.

On Monday morning just before dawn, columns of Zamastanian soldiers could be seen lined up for the offensive to the north-east of the city. The forces had taken control of seven villages and the main road linking Freeborn with the capital of Vulkar, Vulkaria's state-run news agency reported.

Soldiers had earlier stood by bonfires singing battle hymns while in the distance the sound of airstrikes reverberated along with a regularly artillery barrage.

The assault is expected the most critical challenge yet to the terror group's regional control of Northwest Vulkaria.

Victory over the M.L.F. appears very likely as three separate armies line up for the offensive, but there are concerns about what comes next: how to provide for up to 1.3 million refugees and how to re-establish governance in a region brutalized by tyranny.

South of the city, Libertas Omnium Maximusian forces, which had driven dozens of miles for what Vulkar has hailed as a battle marking the beginning of the end against the terrorist group, moved into their final positions on Friday.

Also on the ground are contingents of the Shen Red Army, which will play a prominent role in capturing key intersections north of Freeborn and stopping M.L.F. fighters from leaving the city.

Skirmishes have flared outside the city over the last few days with an airstrike on one of its main bridges on Sunday. It is thought that the targeting of the bridge could hinder fighters trying to flee the city.

Early on Monday, a dense, noxious haze hung over the mountains and the plains leading to Freeborn – a haze caused by oil fires lit by M.L.F. in anticipation of the attack.

The fight is expected to last days, if not weeks, and if the battle proceeds according to the coalition's expectations, it will clear the way for a larger assault onto multiple cities across Northwestern Vulkaria controlled by militias.

See full article here: https://zkcastor.wixsite.com/thetofinotimes