President Bishop signed a declaration recommended by Admiral Percy Tavoka of the 2nd Fleet which brings a temporary halt to airstrikes by Zamastanian forces. For the first time since 2017, there will be no airstrikes on VNA or MLF forces in Vulkaria.
Coalition airstrikes had been averaging two every day, with airstrikes reaching their peak at the beginning of February 2019. The Admiral’s suggestion comes after the Vulkarian Government recaptured key positions from VNA and MLF forces, including confirming that the entirety of the Capital District had been restored to Government control. Zamastanian and Cadairian bombers and fighter jets had provided consistent air support, and official estimates state that since February, over 5,400 enemy fighters had been killed by coalition fighters. The declaration only halts the Zamastanian bombing campaign: the Cadairian forces still have authority to run raids in accordance with the Vulkarian Government.
Since 2017, the conflict in Vulkaria has killed an estimated 24,000 Government soldiers, 62,000 rebel fighters, and nearly 17,000 civilians. The addition of coalition bombers has been instrumental to the survival of the Vulkarian government, according to their own officials as well as several Zamastanian military officers. The VNA spring offensive captured significant ground in Vulkaria and severely escalated fighting by pushing the conflict into urban areas as opposed to the largely rural battlefront that each side had been accustomed to.
It is still to be seen how the halting of airstrikes impacts the conflict. There are already fears that the ceasefire will strengthen the resolve of the rebel forces and that they will attempt to regain ground. There is also optimism for those who support the cause of the government, that the bombing will have decimated rebel forces and that the government forces can quickly push back on more positions.
Zamastan has only provided air support, though there are 3,921 soldiers stationed in Vulkaria, mainly in the capital city of Vulkar at a military base called Dylan 3-F, and the Zamastanian embassy. There have only been two documented incidents of direct fire between Zamastanian ground forces and rebel forces since 2017. The first was in late 2017 when rebel forces hidden inside the capital had attacked Dylan 3-F with rocket propelled grenades. No Zamastanian soldiers were killed or injured. A second incident occurred in January of 2018 when a convoy was ambushed, resulting in two Zamastanian soldiers being killed and four more being injured.