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.

January 5575 | Crisis in Southeast Majatra: Kafuri pushes into northern O'mer, fighting continues in south.

Typically when observing war, most intelligence is gathered "open-source" for reporters and those invested in the conflict, however a unique situation has developed where members of Gath Defense Collective, who are reporting on the Crisis in Southeast Majatra, have developed a relationship with the Kafuri General Staff's Political and Morale Directorate which publishes updates regarding the conflict and alongside other reporters, have been given access to up to date information.

Elements of the 7th Armored Brigade staging to attack Istalian positions.

Kafuri forces were able to organize an offensive in northern O'mer, near al-Qoralus, seeking to return and restore operations to King Bassam Naval Air Base that was largely abandoned when Istalian forces landed near the base, as well after a series of naval and air-based strikes on the base. Elements of the 7th Corps, which is assigned to Northern O'mer, conducted a series of offensives, seeking to push the Istalian forces that are largely relegated towards the coast out of Northern O'mer. Elements of the 7th Armored Brigade, and their commander, Major General Qaaid el-Nazir pushed into the outskirts of al-Qoralus, where the Istalian forces have advanced close to the city limits and the surrounding outlier districts. The 7th Armored Brigade, operating MOI-built T-72B3M main battle tanks, engaged with Istalian forces and who had begun to dig in and attempted to make their way towards King Bassam Naval Air Base. The capture of the base, which has been held by the 1st Kafuri Marine Brigade since the start of the invasion, would've been a massive victory for the Istalian's but they were denied by the timely arrival of the 1st Kafuri Marine Brigade, an elite formation of the Kafuri Navy and the wider Kafuri Armed Forces. The entire 1st Kafuri Marine Brigade had been transferred to the new base and when the invasion began, the remaining forces were hurried there. Elements of the 1st Marine Armored Battalion, and the 3rd Marine Armored Battalion combined with the 1st Marine Reconnaissance Company engaged in heavy fighting on the outskirts of the base with Istalian forces, they were supported by elements of the 5th Army Aviation Regiment, which is comprised of several variants of attack helicopters.

Kafuri Marines, supported by Kafuri Army Aviation, conducting airborne assault on Istalian forces.

While the fighting in Northern O'mer has been a success, the situation in Southern O'mer has been less pleasant according to sources within the Kafui General Staff and Ministry of Defense. Kafuristan has focused largely on keeping its state of the art, F-16K fighters from engaging with the Istalian Air Force, largely due to the fact that they have limited numbers. The IAF have been able to generally operate with ease in Southern O'mer where they have contested, but greater air superiority. Sources within the Kafuri Royal Guard Corps and the Kafuri Air Force have confirmed that by February, 5575 they will deploy the F-16K to the area and rotate other aircraft from the front line. On the ground, the 8th Corps has made steady progress but is plagued by the persistent issue of IAF strikes on their forces, something that the Kafuri Shield has rebuked from urban areas but not from the largely rural and hilly areas in which the Istalian and Kafuri forces are fighting. The Kafuri's have made significant use of drone warfare, including first person view (FPV) kamikaze drones, quick and cheap to utilize but have also pressed more advanced drones into warfare on large-scale for the first time. For instance, the Shahid-149 "Kathuristan" (based on the Shahed 149 "Gaza") has been deployed and has conducted several surgical strikes on Istalian forces along the Southern O'mer coast, and have largely been unchecked. While the larger, more advanced drones have been utilize, the Kafuri's have put their Shahid-136 (based on HESA Shahed 136) to use and have utilized them to strike at the heart of Istalian forces, these loitering munitions, often called "kamikaze" drones, are effect weapons and according to some sources have been utilized as "terror weapons" on retreating or disorganized Istalian forces.

Kafuri Royal Guard Corps launch ballistic missiles of various types towards Western Istalia.

Despite the situation in Southern O'mer not progressing as the Ministry of Defense and General Staff would have hoped, it remains stalwart in their defense of Kafuristan and with the surge of new fighter aircraft in the coming months, the tide is likely to turn against the Istalian Air Force. While the war has hit close to home in Kafuristan, the Kafuri Armed Forces have reminded Istalia that it is only a stones throw away from Kafuristan itself. At great expense to the arsenals of Kafuristan, the Kafuri's have been launching daily ballistic missile salvos at both Istalian forces in Kafuristan and in Western Istalia, where Kafuristan's ballistic missiles can reach. These ballistic missiles strikes have been targeting a wide variety of Istalian military installations as well as key limited infrastructure. Conflict watchers from Gath Defense Collective have cited a "strategic layer of thinking" for Kafuri ballistic missile strikes, avoiding key economic and major infrastructure which might be utilized in a "counter-invasion" of Istalia. "We believe that the Kafuri government, once pushing Istalia from its borders, will likely mount a counter-invasion of Istalia, notably Western Istalia where the Majatran population is at its highest and contains a significant portion of the old Quanzari Empire. There is a strategic layer of thinking here that is often displayed when nations have intentions to capitalize on these strikes." There have been rumors that the Kafuri Royal Guard Corps Ground Forces are preparing their 1st, 2nd and 3rd Airborne Brigades for a large-scale assault in Istalia to form a spearhead for further operations in Istalia as a whole.