Bosthirda Situation Resolved (ING)

Posted on the Imperial News Grid on Y13D286 by Elvira Falston

Bosthirda (IIS)-- A record number of civilians were killed in a three month long war on Bosthirda, with a dramatic rise in the number of deaths from rebel suicide attacks, the Imperial Information Service reports.

A total of 50,264 civilians died at the hands of rebel terrorists in a series of horrific attacks on Bosthirda last month, with countless more missing and some unconfirmed figures numbering in the region of around 340,000 injured. Elements of the Imperial Military were on hand within moments of the initial incidents however. Their assistance saved several thousand Imperial Citizens from certain death at the hands of these dangerous insurgents, who have been operating on the planet in small groups for a number of years. It was the fifteenth time in the last year alone that terrorists on the planet have coldheartedly and purposefully targeted civilians on Bosthirda. Reportedly, the organisation behind these attacks, consisting largely of non-humanoid races, is being funded by the unlawful Falleen Federation, resulting in the rapid growth of these terrorist cells.

Early assessments of local security forces claimed that early in Year 13, the number of incidents went down with four percent. An investigation conducted by Imperial Intelligence revealed however that there were in fact seventy-nine percent more violent incidents on Bosthirda than the year before. The Bosthirda Securiy Forces had been hiding statistics from the Empire. As a result, not enough Imperial forces were stationed on the planet to keep the terrorist activity in check. It is believed that the toll of civilian lives would have been far lower had the BSF warned the Empire of the true problems they were facing.The people responsible for the falsifying of reports have been arrested and are currently being interrogated by the Imperial Security Bureau under the suspicion of forgery and accepting bribes from terrorists, resulting in the loss of many Imperial lives.The latest humanitarian report from Imperial Sector Command states that this rebel conflict has caused growing disruption of life for ordinary citizens of Bosthirda and nearby planets, with an estimated 3,850,632 citizens displaced in the last year alone, which is a massive ninety percent increase in the number of homeless or displaced individuals on the planet. The system`s economy dropped nine percent in latest reports from the Imperial Treasury. Although the number of insurgents has fallen dramatically when elements of the Imperial Army arrived on Bosthirda, there are still several strongholds from which the rebels conduct their operations to disrupt the peace and spread terror. With millions of citizens liberated across the hundreds of cities on the planet, the Empire now enjoys a significant advantage in this campaign. Several citizens of the Empire have expressed their heartfelt gratitude to Imperial soldiers for their quick and efficient response to any and all threats threatening their families.

Thanks to the high levels of activity and participation by Imperial soldiers during the past few weeks no less than 3,005 separate attacks were recorded across the planet; of those 3,005, 89% were completed without a single Imperial falling in battle. This has subsequently led to an increased reduction in hostile activities in the following weeks, with only one minor incident occuring.

Army Captain Altharaz said he was extremely pleased with the efforts of the Imperial military and that the troops have gone above and beyond the call of duty in their efforts to wipe out the threat. "For too long now Bosthirda`s citizens have had their safety jeopardized by men and women who care nothing for peace and order and only wish to plunge society into chaos for their own good.” Imperial Sector Adjutants said in a statement to the press. “Unfortunately, incidents like these will continue to happen as long as the galaxy is plagued by the existance of groups like the so-called Galactic Alliance."

Improvised explosive devices were the single largest cause of civilian deaths in the past year, taking the lives of at least 1,543 civilians so far. The rebels have increased their use of illegal, indiscriminate victim-activated pressure plate IED devices. These can be detonated even by children stepping on them, a report from the Imperial Army (Special Explosives Division) said. However, it should be noted that officers of the Imperial Navy intercepted thousands of transmissions and had pilots not been on hand to scan the area, the number of IED attack casualties could have easily tripled. Several Imperial analysts believe the use of these devices shows the rebels no longer have the manpower to carry out attacks without the aid of explosives.

Sector Command confirmed a long-term deployment of Imperial forces on the planet, against the now irrelevant wishes of the local security force. The terrorist attacks are the worst in recorded system history and after the terrorists inexplicably killed thousands of civilians, the situation escalated to the point that permanent garrisons have been set up. Within weeks of these permanent garrisons arriving in system, rebel attacks have been reduced significantly. Imperial forces will now remain on the planet to help dismantle the terrorist strongholds and clean up mine fields to prevent more lives being lost to these cowardly tools.

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IMPERIAL INFORMATION SERVICE