News in 2138

GLOBAL NEWS NETWORK BULLETIN - 20 JAN 2138 - 1403Z

CON 2 – PARAMO EL NEVADO – SOUTH OF BOGATA – COLUMBIA.

SLAUGHTER IN THE SOUTH

IN A REGION THAT HAS SEEN ONE OF THE LONGEST PERIODS OF CONSISTENT FIGHTING BETWEEN THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF EARTH (URE), THE MEMBERS OF THE INDEPENDENT NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY COALITION (INSC), AND NUMEROUS BANDS OF LOCAL REVOLUTIONARIES. AN UNPRECEDENTED TRAGEDY HAS OCCURRED.

OVER THE PAST FORTY-EIGHT HOURS, GNN HAS CONFIRMED WITH MULTIPLE LOCAL SOURCES IN AND AROUND THE REGION THAT HUNDREDS OF UNMANNED COMBAT ASSETS HAVE CATASTROPHICALLY MALFUNCTIONED. LAND AND AIR-BASED DRONE FORCES OF THE URE 101ST UNMANNED SECURITY BRIGADE HAVE BEEN SWEEPING THE REGION FOR THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS, LOCATING, ENGAGING, AND ELIMINATING INSC FORCES AS THEY APPEAR WITH MINIMAL HUMAN INTERFERENCE, OR FRIENDLY LOSS OF LIFE. SOME UNNAMED SOURCES WITHIN THE BRIGADE HAVE INFORMED GNN THAT THE 101ST HAS MULTIPLE CONTROL NODES AND SIGNAL REPEATERS THAT CAN BE INTERCHANGED AT WILL. RANGING FROM SOMEWHAT LOCAL, TO AS FAR AS CON 1, AND URE CENTRAL COMMAND.

IN THE HEIGHT OF A SERIES OF SEVERE RAIN STORMS THAT GENERATED HIGH WINDS, HEAVY RAINS, AND MULTIPLE LANDSLIDES. A GREATER PORTION OF THE DATALINK NETWORK INSTALLATIONS AND REPEATERS UTILIZED BY THE DRONES FOR COMMAND AND CONTROL WERE EITHER DESTROYED, OR TEMPORARILY KNOCKED OFFLINE. INSC FORCES HAVE CLAIMED RESPONSIBLITY FOR ESTABLISHING A BLANKET OF SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS JAMMING OVER THE MOUNTAINS WHEN THE DRONES WERE OBSERVED TO BE HAVING CONNECTION DIFFICULTIES.

AS THE STORM CONTINUED, BOTH LAND AND AIR-BASED DRONES WERE REPORTED TO REVERT TO A SORT OF SELF-PRESERVATION PROTOCOL. MAINTAINING THEIR POSITIONS UNTIL A SUFFICIENT CONNECTION WAS RESTORED. SHORTLY AFTER THE OUTAGE BEGAN, THE INSC, IN COOPERATION WITH TWO LOCAL FREEDOM FIGHTER GROUPS, ATTACKED ALL KNOWN URE DRONES EN MASSE.

IN AN APPARENT USE OF COMMUNAL PROCESSING POWER, THE UNMANNED URE FORCES REGROUPED IN SEVERAL CORE STRONG POINTS, REPELLED SEVERAL OF THE ATTACKS, AND BEGAN MOVING FORWARD AS THE INSC AND LOCAL FIGHTERS RETREATED. UNFORTUNATELY, A SUFFICIENT CONNECTION FROM ANY URE COMMAND AND CONTROL FACILITY WAS NOT YET ESTABLISHED AND THE DRONES ARE REPORTED TO HAVE CONTINUED RUNNING ON A COLLECTIVE SELF-DEFENSE SUBROUTINE. BASED ON THE GARB AND COMMON ATTIRE OF LOCAL FIGHTERS, THE MACHINES ABILITY TO IDENTIFY NON-COMBATANTS WAS SEVERELY DEGRADED. MORE SO IN THE HEAVY INCLEMENT WEATHER.

OVER THE PAST TWELVE HOURS, DOZENS OF VILLAGES AND REFUGEE CAMPS THROUGHOUT THE REGION HAVE REPORTED CASUALTIES IN THE THOUSANDS AND MORE REPORTS ARE STILL COMING IN. MULTIPLE SURVIVORS HAVE SPOKEN TO GNN REPORTERS IN THE FIELD, DESCRIBING DRONES THAT CONTINUED TO ATTACK AS HOSTILE FIGHTERS FLED INTO VILLAGES AND CAMPS. MOBILE FOOTAGE HAS BEEN PROVIDED THROUGH THE GNN WEB PORTAL OF WHAT ARE ASSUMED TO BE UNCONTROLLED AERIAL DRONES PROVIDING CLOSE AIR SUPPORT TO LAND-BASED MACHINES AS THEY MADE COMBINED ASSAULTS. 

CURRENTLY, CONNECTIVITY HAS BEEN RESTORED, AND URE CENTRAL COMMAND HAS ISSUED A STATEMENT CITING ‘UNPREDICTABLE OUTAGES’ , SUPPORTING THE ‘QUICK ACTIONS OF THE 101ST BRIGADE AS THEY MOVED TO STOP THE VIOLENCE, CONTINUING TO PROVIDE SECURITY TO THE PEOPLE OF CON 2.’ MEDICAL AND HUMANITARIAN SUPPLIES ARE FLOODING INTO A REGION THAT HAS KNOWN WAR FOR YEARS, BUT HAS NOW SEEN A NEW FACE OF CONFLICT.