U.S. Asks Malakabel to Remove Troops From Border

[SSgt (Ret) Derr]

U.S. Asks Malakabel to Remove Troops From Border

Grand Central Times 26 April 2017

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- While the bullets aren’t flying yet, rhetoric exchanges between the Sultanate of Oman and Malakabel are coming to a boiling point. A week ago, a train carrying Malakabeli oil was destroyed in the border regions of Oman. Officials scrambled to find a cause, and quickly discovered the now destroyed railway came under artillery fire. Malakabel dispatched commando units to the area, where they determined the point of origin was an Omani artillery base. Oman denied this claim, and offered to rebuild the railway and help Malakabel in any way.

In response, Malakabeli troops began massing along their shared border with Oman, a move seen by both Omani and United States officials to be more than mere posturing. In an open letter to the Grand Central Times, Malakebeli press minister Yusuf Hesham firmly stated that Malakebeli troops would only be stood down if unrestricted access to one of Oman’s major ports was given to Malakabel. This isn’t the first time Malakabel has demanded more access to Omani ports. In 2015 a similar request was made which was endorsed by the World Health Organization, citing increased oil profits as a means to alleviate the humanitarian hunger crisis on the ground. During his most recent interview with BCC International, Omani Deputy Prime Minister Qaboos bin Mahmoud al Fatah balked at the idea of granting Malakabel’s more recent request, citing the recent assassination attempt on the Omani Ambassador to Malakabel as a “juvenile attempt to encroach upon the sovereignty of the Sultanate, any other direct attacks will be met with swift military action.”

What this means for the region is quite unclear. While diplomatic relations between the two nations have always been tense to say the least, the past few years have certainly seen an increase in hostilities. The United States has maintained a small military presence in Oman since 2011, using the oil rich country as a staging point for special operations throughout the region. When pressed during her press conference earlier today about recent developments in the area, White House Press Secretary Stephanie Davidson stated that the White House was cognizant of the issue, and had deployed “Military Advisors” to monitor conditions on the ground. Concerns regarding the size and nature of the advisement force were quickly raised by the White House press corps, only to be swiftly addressed by Davidson. “The rotation of military personnel to Oman is nothing new, we have maintained advisors there at the request of the Sultanate for several years.” When pressed about United States interests in the region Secretary Michaels went on to say that “We have a vested interest in maintaining peace and stability throughout the region. Key to this is Malakabel removing troops from the border."

By Pentagon Correspondent Linda Williams. Peter Rechts contributed reporting on the ground in Malakabel.

 

This article is a work of fiction, intended to support the storyline of the 3d MRB Arma 3 Realism unit.

Edited April 28, 2017 by 2ndLt Hart

[GySgt Cole]

Great work Cpl!

[Capt (Ret) Hito]

Excellent work

[SSgt (Ret) Harmon]

good work Derr