SENATOR HUDSON UNVEILS RESOLUTION TO END AIRSTRIKES
Senator Leonard Hudson (GLP - Cayenne 2)
TOFINO - Senator Leonard Hudson, member of the Green Liberal Party representing Cayenne's 2nd district, introduced a resolution in Congressional Hall that will go to a vote this weekend with the intention to end the ongoing airstrikes against Armbar regime forces in West Chanchajilla. On the floor, he bashed President Moreau and Conservative Party lawmakers who have overwhelmingly supported the strikes, with some going as far to say Zamastanian soldiers should be involved in direct ground combat operations.
Hudson emphasized, along with support from Senator Ralphie McCarthy (GLP - Titania), that the airstrikes have likely caused dozens, if not hundreds, of civilian casualties. A report from the Zamastanian Intelligence Service two days ago stated that "several citizens have been unintentionally killed in military airstrikes that, while succeeding in dismantling key infrastructure targets and neutralizing important regime commanders, have resulted in collateral damage." Senator Hudson led the arguments on the floor of the senate, where lawmakers have been discussing, among other topics, the legality of the President's ability to wage extensive strikes without congressional approval.
"Presidents have conducted strikes before," Hudson stated in his proposal, "just look at President Sakzi with justafiable attacks against al-Fijar in Jaginistan. Or President Castovia, both of them, in Vulkaria against clear targets. So here's the difference. In those instances, Zamastanians died. Zamastanians were maimed. It was against non-state actors. This time, the justification is that West Chanchajilla fired on us. But, we retaliated. We prevented harm to our citizens. And yes, Frederick Armbar is a terrible man and I can't wait to see his regime fall. But Zamastan can not be a part of a war that isn't ours."
Hudson was referring to airstrikes President Foley Sakzi conducted in Jaginistan during April of 2020, following a bombing by al-Fijar in Tregueux that killed 38 people at the city's central metro station. As well as multiple strikes by President Zacharias Castovia and his father President Cassious Castovia against Malvarian Liberation Front targets in Vulkaria, the practice of retaliatory strikes is not new to Zamastanian leaders. The difference now, according to Hudson, is that Zamastan was able to prevent casualties and damage of any kind when Armbar's militias fired rockets towards Foreman City and the Alanis-Emerald corridor several weeks ago.
The arguments come several days after Zamastanian forces hit Armbar's compound in the capital city of Ivora, killing dozens of Armbar's men, including his Minister of Economics and several top military aides, but also resulted in several civilians being killed. East Chanchajillan forces have advanced further towards the capital, with their forces capturing the city of Treviso and its unstable nuclear facility. The West's second largest city, Vicalvi, is currently being besieged by Eastern forces. Experts say the capture of that city will be the final obstacle before the Eastern forces are able to advance directly on the city of Ivora. That hasn't stopped Zamastanian airstrikes from hitting more than a dozen targets in and around the capital each day.
Senator Hudson also went after President Moreau, claiming that he was "expressing no warrant or regard for the wider idea of the humanitarian mission he claims to be on." These comments caused many Conservative party lawmakers to stand and boo Hudson, with nearly all Bloc Mayotte members leaving the chamber. The division amongst party lines on the use of airstrikes has been exemplified in recent weeks with partisan displays of retaliation against the others, such as walkouts and shouting.
Senator Hudson's resolution goes to a vote on Saturday, but many worry that the conflict will have either escalated or stalled by that point, as the rapid speed in which the Eastern forces have swept through the country have surprised most experts.
LOUISE MOUNTAINS AVALANCE HITS RESORT, AT LEAST 7 KILLED
Seven skiers were killed, four others rescued, and one still missing after an avalanche Wednesday in a backcountry ski resort area near Orilian, police said. The Unified Police Department of Orilian received a hang-up call around 11:40 a.m. Wednesday, and then received a report that there had been an avalanche in the Darten Basin area with dozens of people trapped. Two groups of skiers, one group of five and another of seven, began skiing on the mountain at the same time and authorities think the avalanche was caused by the group skiing, Sheriff Baumart said.
"Four of those skiers were able to dig their way out," Baumart said. "All seven of the remaining are deceased, with the exception of one more male who is still missing."
The skiers range in age from early 20s to late 30s, according to Baumart. A rescue service was called to transport the survivors out of the area, and a flyover was being conducted to determine whether it is safe for rescuers to remove the deceased tonight, Baumart said. The location where the avalanche occurred is a "very popular backcountry ski area," Baumart told the Tofino Times, adding that it has "been under very high-risk avalanche conditions recently."
Darten Basin is by Mudcreek Canyon, about 40 kilometers southeast of Orilian. The Province of Pahl Avalanche Center said in a social media post on Wednesday morning that there were "dangerous avalanche conditions." There have been a string of deaths in avalanches so far in 2021, with 16 total deaths. The total has already exceeded the death toll in 2020, although the 2019 season still remains the most deadly on record because of avalanches caused on Grouse Mountain and Mount Qira in Zian during the Coastal Valley Earthquake. Those avalanches in 2019 killed a total of 102 people.
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