Mortar strikes, ION helicopter shot down, 20 people dead on Sunday
A major escalation rocks the island on an otherwise beautiful sunday.
Several incidents lead to a total of 20 people dying on Sunday.
The first incident was apparently an unsuccessful mortar attack against a hovel in which FROG were conducting an inspection in. No one was seriously injured, slight property damage occurred. The second incident was a rocket attack that destroyed a FROG owned van, which, despite a civilian ambulance driver helping with the treatment of the casualties, ultimately took the lives of 2 FROG forces.
The third incident involved a downed Boeing MH-6 ‘Little Bird’ helicopter over La TrinitĂ©. According to the GP statement in the wake of the incident, the helicopter had refused to identify itself and ignored several attempts at communication while hovering over the La TrinitĂ© airspace for several hours. Warning shots were fired in front of the cockpit using tracer ammunition to signal the helicopter to leave, which ignored the incoming fire. Finally, GP - La TrinitĂ© authorized the downing of the helicopter using guided missiles, which immediately destroyed the aircraft and killed both pilots. FROG forces additionally claim that the helicopter’s pilots were watching and following the forces during routine inspections in the northern part of the island.
The downing immediately escalated the tensions between ION and the GP, which was initially called “Regrettable” by the Operational Manager of ION North Africa, Mr. Jack Walker. Shots fired over ridge lines and sporadic fire was exchanged between checkpoints in Houdan/Dourdan and the Corton/La Passange area. During these exchanges, an additional 16 people lost their lives.
After a meeting between GP representatives and ION, a ceasefire was put into place. According to a company spokesperson, ION had delivered a missive to the GP - Larche about its cooperation to the open investigation. That investigation was called for in the report for the GP Grand Congress, inside which scathing accusations have been levied against ION in regards to a possible connection with an organization that apparently has plans to assassinate several high-ranking officials in both RdM and GP ranks, which also includes Président Moulin as a potential target.
The escalations may disrupt attempts at negotiations between the RdM and the GP. According to eye witnesses, a lot of RdM soldiers have taken the offer of amnesty and surrendered to the GP. Additionally, there are rumors about Président Moulin wanting to open the diplomatic channel to finally trigger an official transfer of power. This would end his reign and officially cede all territory to the GP, which would finally enable the organization to act as the internationally recognized party.